Attack of the Necromancers
by Ryman
Summary: Three years after the fall of Malomyotismon, a new enemy has been created. He has discovered a new technique, known as digimagic, which allows the user to perform a massive amount of techniques.It's up to Veemon, Gatomon, Gomamon, Armadillomon, Biyomon,
1. The Digivolution Demiser

**CHAPTER 1 - The Digivolution Demiser**

It was a terrible day in the real world. There were black clouds in the sky, and all of them were shooting lightning and water like attacks. Only the people who came to school early were present, and this included Kari, TK and for once in his life, Davis. Kari, TK and Davis were the digidestined, humans with a responsibility to take care of the digital world with their digimon partners. All three were fifteen, and hadn't seen action for three years, since the digital would was at peace for that long.

They were supposed to be in sports for the afternoon, but it was cancelled due to the rain, so the three of them went to the computer lab. Izzy, an older member of the digidestined was already there, and he looked up when they arrived. They were taking their digimon stealthily. Davis's partner was Demiveemon, a tiny blue and white dragon digimon with angular ears, ruby red eyes, and had a very cute face. TK's partner was Patamon, an orange and yellow digimon who looked like a piglet with bat like ears. Patamon could fly with his ears, and was very friendly. Kari's partner was Gatomon, a white cat digimon with bright blue eyes, purple tufts on her ears and tail, on which she wore a magic ring.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. Izzy was very good with computers, and was very smart. He often went around to their junior high school to use the computers as a part of his senior high school course. Izzy also had a partner digimon, Tentomon, but he was already in the digital world.

"Class is cancelled" answered TK,

"I thought you would've used this time for your exams coming up" said Izzy,

"Well, we can't concentrate" explained Davis,

"What'sh an exsham?" asked Demiveemon. Patamon and Gatomon looked up

"It's a big test that humans do to show how much they've learned over the year" explained Kari.

"That makes sense" nodded Gatomon, "Exams need practice don't they?"

"Yeah, like how much you digimon need to practice how to fight" said TK,

"I'd fail that tesht" sighed Demiveemon, looking down,

"Sora, Matt and Joe are already in the digital world" said Izzy, "There's been some strange rumours going about, and none of them are good"

"Like what?" asked TK,

"We've been hearing that there's another evil digimon on the loose, and he has the power to stop digivolution, but that was from Gazimon, and he's been known for telling lies, but watch out"

"Well, we're doing nothing here, let's go" said Davis, going through the regular ruckus that they put up with every other day. They held their digivices up to the gate, and they were transported through. On the other side, Demiveemon had changed into Veemon, since he could maintain his power in the digital world, but not in the real word. Veemon was a blue dragon digimon with the same red eyes and angular ears as Demiveemon, a white mouth and stomach, a medium tail and he had a characteristic V on his forehead. He was a very good fighter, but lacked special attacks, and he still had his embarrassing lisp.

"Keep an eye out for trouble" said TK,

"But my eyes only stay in" objected Patamon,

"It's a matter of speech" said Gatomon, "Like when someone says 'Cat got your tongue?' doesn't mean I've got their tongues"

"It does when you talk to Veemon though" joked Patamon,

"Shut up!" snapped Veemon. Gatomon had once pulled his tongue because he asked her to go out with him, not only that, it was in front of everyone.

"It means watch out" added Kari. Soon, they were joined by Sora and Biyomon. Sora was eighteen now, was good at tennis and had unique red hair. Biyomon was a pink bird digimon with a pretty lyre feather on her forehead, and wore a silver anklet. Biyomon was a good flyer and digivolved into magnificent birds.

"What's the matter?" asked TK,

"The rumours are true" panted Sora, "There is an evil digimon, and he is very powerful"

"We never get a break" sighed Patamon, "Why is there always some jerk that wants to take over the world?"

"Search me" continued Sora, "This digimon, I think he's called Kilhamon, he has the power to permanently stop digimon from digivolving"

"He's got me" said Biyomon sadly, "I'll never be able to digivolve again"

"Wow, this is worse than the control spires" said Davis, "Maybe we should wait until Ken and the others get here so we can DNA digivolve"

There were three other D-3 digidestined. Cody, Yolei and Ken. Yolei was a tall girl with purple hair, and was quite boisterous, but had a good heart. Her partner was Hawkmon, a brown bird digimon with a white head, a belt around his head like a bandana, and had a dark-age accent. Cody was a young boy but was very spiritual and wise. His partner was Armadillomon, an armoured digimon with a southern accent, yellow skin and had shiny brown armour. Ken was a mysterious boy who used to be the evil digimon emperor, but it appeared he was innocent, and was induced with a dark spore by Malomyotismon. Ken was very smart and wise, but also very quiet. His partner was Wormon, a green bug digimon with many legs and was equally shy.

"So, you're the digidestined?" said a voice. They all looked up, and saw a figure on a rock.

"That's Kilhamon!" screamed Biyomon. Kilhamon wasn't much taller than Gatomon. He had a thick staff in his hand, and he wore a long coat with shabby clothes. He had foxlike ears and green fur.

"What do you want?" asked Kari loudly,

"I want you out of my way" answered Kilhamon, "I also want a pizza, but never mind that"

He jumped off the rock and landed a few metres away from them.

"The bad guysh haven't been up againsht ush thish early in the sheeriesh before have they?" commented Veemon

"Yeah, it is hot, but now is no time to comment on the weather" said TK. Veemon huffed.

"So, will this be a challenge or a pushover?" asked Kilhamon. Davis got out his digivice.

"A pushover" sighed Kilhamon, "So be it"

The bars on Davis's digivices glowed, and Veemon began to transform. Kilhamon held up his staff, and Veemon stopped glowing. An evil symbol appeared on his chest, and then disappeared. The digivice deactivated, and made no more noises.

"Try to armour digivolve" called Davis, and got out his D-Terminal. Nothing happened.

"Hey! Nothing's happened!" exclaimed Davis. Kari rolled her eyes.

"What did you do you creep?" asked Veemon,

"I won" said Kilhamon simply, "Unless you have some sort of hidden power as a rookie, but since you've been relying on your digivolving for so long, I assume you don't"

"I don't need to digivolve to stomp you" yelled Gatomon, and she attacked Kilhamon.

"Lightning Claw!"

"Steel Curtain!"

Kilhamon held up his staff, and a transparent barrier formed. Gatomon was blown back, and ended up on the ground. Kilhamon performed the curse on her as well.

"Gatomon!" yelled Kari, and she helped her friend out of harm's way. Kilhamon looked at TK,

"We both know what will happen now" said Kilhamon, looking evilly at Patamon, and began his curse.

"Vee Headbutt!"

Veemon's attack winded Kilhamon, and he stopped the curse. TK and Patamon ran away. Kilhamon glared at Veemon,

"Icy Wind!"

Veemon was very cold suddenly. Frost began to appear on his blue skin, and he felt the bodily fluids begin to freeze. He'd be an ice sculpture if it didn't stop soon.

"Electro Shocker!"

Kilhamon stopped the spell as a ball of electrical energy shot past him,

"Consider yourself extremely lucky" whispered Kilhamon, and vanished. Davis looked around, Kabuterimon and Izzy were arriving, and Kabuterimon's attack had obviously scared Kilhamon away.

"Are we too late?" asked Izzy. Davis ran over to Veemon, who was on the ground, burned.

"Hey, wake up" said Davis quietly, and shook his friend gently. Veemon stirred, and looked up,

"I'm shorry" he whispered,

"You don't need to be sorry" said Davis, "We need to head back."

Izzy and Davis returned through the gate to the real world. It was as though they had stepped into a digital zoo. As well as Gatomon and Patamon, there was also Biyomon, Gomamon and Gabumon. Gomamon was a small seal digimon with white fur, green eyes and purple stripes, as well as messy orange hair. Gabumon doesn't have a resemblance to anything on Earth. He had yellow skin with a small tail, he had ruby red eyes, had a weird blue symbol on his stomach, and he wore a blue-white wolf's skin over his back, arms and head. There was also a lot of messy silver hair on his head that wasn't there before.

"How come he hasn't de-digivolved?" asked TK. Davis looked down, Veemon was still the same. It was normal for him, Hawkmon, Wormon and Armadillomon to be in their in-training forms in the real world.

"He's been cursed too hasn't he?" asked Joe. Veemon nodded.

"That's okay, Yeemon, it isn't the end" said Gomamon cheerfully. Everyone in the room stared at him, "Just because we're all rookies... and champion" he added, looking at Gatomon, "Doesn't mean we can't fight. Did you know Kilhamon's only a rookie too?"

"What?!" asked everyone in the whole room,

"Yeah" agreed Gomamon, "He's just a rookie, but he's learned digimagic"

"Digihuzzah?" asked Patamon, confused,

"Apparently, digimagic is very powerful" said Izzy, "It takes a long time to practice, and even a rookie digimon who has mastered it is more powerful than a mega digimon"

"We should ask Gennai about it" said Matt, "He'd know"

"And I think Piximon knows about it too" said Gabumon,

"Who ish Pickshimon?" asked Veemon, Gatomon couldn't help but snigger slightly,

"He's someone who knows a lot" said Gabumon, "When we were in the digital world, he helped Tai and Agumon get out of their rut, and he helped us escape from the Dark Masters too"

"But he's got a weird way of speaking" added Joe, "He made us mop his five story mansion when we first met him"

Veemon flinched slightly. He turned to Izzy,

"Will I ever be able to fight again?" he asked,

"Yes, but you'll have to do it in your rookie form" answered Izzy, "Maybe tomorrow we can go see Piximon and Gennai, they might have some answers"

"You look terrible" pointed out Gatomon, noticing Veemon's malady. He was shivering and his skin was pale.

"I'll be fine" said Veemon. Gatomon poked him, and he flinched,

"Yeah, right" said Gatomon. The healing ring on her tail glowed, and all the marks on Veemon disappeared.

"How did you do that?" asked almost everyone at the same time,

"Gennai told me" answered Gatomon, "When he borrowed my ring, he modified it slightly so I can use it to heal"

"That's great" said Kari. Someone knocked on the door, and all the digimon hid. A teacher walked in.

"Sorry, everyone, the storm's too strong, and the streets are flooded. You'll all have to sleep in the upstairs classrooms tonight"

"Okay"

The teacher left, and Davis walked over to the window,

"Geez, it is bad" he said in amazement. The streets were like rivers underneath the sheets of rain pouring down.

"That's a good thing. It's the weekend tomorrow; we can go to the digital world then" said Matt

"Why don't we go tonight?" asked Davis,

"We don't want the teachers to panic when they can't find us" said Joe. After a while of talking, everyone left the room to the classes. Davis walked into his Grammar room where ten camp beds were set up.

"It's all clear" he whispered. Veemon entered the room wearing Davis's raincoat, which camouflaged him well.

"Are you angry at me becaushe I can't digivolve?" he asked,

"Course not" said Davis, "It's not your fault at all"

"How do you think we'll fight now?" asked Veemon, lying down behind Davis so their heads were touching,

"No, but maybe Gennai or Piximon will find a way", sighed Davis, "Maybe we'll even get to find out about Digimagic"

Veemon turned around and gave him a cheeky smile,

"Did you ashk Kari out yet?"

"One day" answered Davis, "What about you and Gatomon? Can you dance properly yet?"

"Well, no-one'sh teaching me"

"Yeah, because when you try, you fall over"

"At leasht I don't missh the bashket when it'sh in front of my noshe"

"At least I can say 'Sandy Sold Sea Shells by the Sea Shore' and make sense"

"At leasht I don't shpend an hour combing my hair"

"At least I can sing and not shatter glass"

"You can't shing, Davish" smirked Veemon, "I thought Gomamon wash being killed in the bathroom when you shung lasht time"

"Oh, yeah? When you sung last, I heard that Grandma had a stroke but recovered from it"

"What doesh that mean?" asked Veemon, confused, Davis smirked,

"Your singing raises the dead" he retorted,

"You ashked for it!" barked Veemon and play-wrestled Davis, both laughing,

"Ssh!" said Davis. More people walked in the room, and they couldn't talk any more,

"Just kidding" whispered Davis.

Gatomon was sitting on a desk in Kari's classroom, looking down.

"What's wrong?" asked Kari,

"Nothing" said Gatomon,

"You're not fooling anyone" said Kari, and sat on the desk next to her.

"I'm wondering if we can do this, if we can still fight"

"Of course we can" answered Kari, "How come you didn't tell me you could heal people like that?"

"I forgot, sorry" confessed Gatomon, her tail flickering like it normally did when she was nervous,

"That's okay" said Kari, "We'll know a lot more tomorrow"

Kari lay down on the bed, and Gatomon still sat on the desk, thinking. She tried to look as much as possible like a human world cat, so nobody would notice her as much.

Soon everyone was asleep. Gatomon couldn't sleep, so she walked cautiously through the corridors. She heard some footsteps approaching, and she hid behind a locker. She was confused, because there were toenail clicks as well, and humans didn't normally have their toenails that long. Gatomon looked, and saw Veemon walking down the corridor.

"What are you doing here?" she asked,

"Davish" sighed Veemon, "I try to shleep before he doesh, but tonight I was too shlow, he shnores like a Monochromon shtampede"

Gatomon laughed, but stopped herself. She was trying to ward off Veemon because she knew he fancied her.

"Where are you going?" she asked,

"Computer lab" answered Veemon. Gatomon tried to think of an excuse to go the other way, but she couldn't so she decided out of good will to try to talk, but her patience was short lived.

"Ish it hard to, you know, heal people?" asked Veemon, looking at her, his heart fluttering normally when Gatomon was around,

"Not really" said Gatomon, "So don't take it personally. I was just giving first aid, nothing special, got it?" she added aggressively. Veemon blinked,

"Why do you act sho cold around me?" he asked her, she didn't reply, so they walked on opposite sides of the corridor, not talking for a while,

"Why do you persist?" asked Gatomon, on the computer floor when they went down the stairs, "You know we'll never work out, I'm a champion, you're a rookie. I'm a cat, you're a... anyway, you're just not my type"

She speeded up and entered the computer lab. Veemon sighed. It wasn't as bad as last time he tried to pick up Gatomon. She punched his face last time and threw him over the fence the time before that.

'I'll show her' he thought to himself, 'But I'll wait... yeah, that's where I'm going wrong, I don't wait, but I will this time, and if I get it right, she'll be all over me'

Veemon, who was smiling at the thought of exactly what would happen if Gatomon did like him, entered the lab, and found Gomamon, Biyomon and Gabumon already there. Gatomon was taking in what she was seeing.

"What are you doing here?" asked Gatomon and Biyomon at the same time,

"Can't sleep" answered Veemon and Gabumon, (Veemon said 'Shleep')

"We've been talking" said Gomamon, "We're wondering what will become of us, since, you know"

"SOCD" stated Gabumon, "Society of Cursed Digimon. Want to join?"

"Might as well" sighed Gatomon, and sat on a chair.

"Okay. We're four rookies and one champion. What can we do?"

"I can heal" said Gatomon, absent-mindedly picking at her tail-ring, "No-one else can"

"That's one good thing" said Biyomon, "I can fly" she spread out her pink wings, gracefully,

"I can swim" said Gomamon, indicating his large flippers, "But I can't fight very well" he added, sighing as his small and flimsy body. His hind legs were tiny, and he only stood a little over a foot off the floor,

"Sure you can" pointed out Gatomon, "You can summon fish"

"But what good are fish without water?"

"Anyway, I can do a bit with fire and ice" interrupted Gabumon, referring to his breath attack, Blue Blaster, that nobody was sure whether it was a fire or ice attack, "What about you, Veemon?"

"Um, err, don't know yet" said Veemon quickly,

"Well, Geemon is more agile than us" said Gomamon

"It'sh Veemon, get it right!"

"There has to be something" thought Biyomon aloud, but everyone was looking awkward. Veemon's ears drooped, that was another reason why Gatomon didn't fancy him, it's not like he ever did anything impressive, apart from digivolving, but didn't they all? Veemon had no special attack, his only asset was his strength, but this meant he was useless in long-range combat, and that was normally their fighting method nowadays, more and more enemies seemed to fly. He used to rely on digivolving to be useful, but now that was all gone. Veemon looked quite depressed, but before anyone could ask him what was wrong, suddenly, one of the computers emitted a bright flash of light. Appearing out of it was a brown-haired man wearing a tan cloak.

"Gennai!" said all the digimon at once.

"That's right" said Gennai, the greatest information centre in the digital world. There were further knocks on the lab door, but it was Izzy, Davis, Kari, TK, Patamon, Joe, Matt and Sora who entered. It was a small while before everything died down.

"As you all know, there is a powerful and evil digimon now in control" said Gennai, "He has used a curse to quash our previous strategy of digivolution"

Everyone agreed,

"Plus, the digimon currently still able to digivolve don't stand a chance against Kilhamon. Not even our mega digimon, since Kilhamon defeated Metalgarurumon easily" added Gennai.

This was true. Metalgarurumon was Gabumon's mega form, and Kilhamon had blasted him away with a fire spell earlier that day. Gabumon got cursed, and that's how he ended up in the SOCD.

"So, the only thing we can do is use digimagic ourselves" continued Gennai, "But there is a few things that have to be followed so we can use it safely and effectively. One, only digimon who have been cursed can use it, because we don't want to divert the energy from digimon who can still digivolve"

Everyone looked around, taking in things like what Biyomon would look like shooting fireballs, or Gabumon blasting something away with Metalgarurumon's ice attack.

"Two, in order to use digimagic, I need to modify your digivices"

"What for?" asked TK, after a large yawn. Davis was smirking at his pyjamas, they had little pigs all over them,

"Because digimagic, like digivolution, needs a burst of energy to use. Your digivices already have this power, so all is needed is to modify them"

Kari, Sora, Davis, Matt and Joe gave Gennai their digivices.

"You'll have them back tomorrow" said Gennai, "And three, find Piximon, I'm sure his training will help you all, and accept any other digimon willing to help"

Gomamon and Veemon doubted that Piximon would help them in any way apart from giving them a big back ache.

"I have a question" said Davis, "How do we use digimagic? What sorts are there?"

"As I said, you'll find out tomorrow, but I can tell you one thing" he smiled, "Dragon digimon are said to be the best at digimagic."

Everyone looked at Veemon, who grinned. So digimagic would be the way to impress Gatomon, the blue dragon was now glad that he took the curse. Who cares that he can't digivolve? Gatomon's gonna like him by the end of the week, no matter what.

"I realize you are busy in the real world at the moment," continued Gennai, "So I will attempt to change the digital world's time synchro. Go to bed, you'll need to rest"

Gennai disappeared back into the computer screen.

"Well, we're back on the team" said Matt cheerfully, "What sort of digimagic would we use?"

"Time synchro... what's that?" asked Davis,

"Gennai wants to change the digital world's time synchronization" said Izzy, "It means one minute in the real world is worth one day in the digital world"

"That'll help a lot" said Davis, yawning, TK was smirking at his pyjamas, decorated with lizards, "What are you smirking at, TH?"

"Nothing" said TK,

"Hey, what digimagic did Kilhamon use?" asked Sora, "We need some idea on what it can do"

"He used one called Flamestrike on me" sighed Gabumon,

"Leyden Clap on me" shuddered Gomamon,

"And he ushed one called Ishy Wind on me" finished Veemon,

"Flamestrike, Leyden Clap and Ishy Wind" repeated Kari,

"No, Ishy Wind" corrected Veemon,

"That's what I said" pointed out Kari, the others were smirking,

"It'sh called... Ishy Wind, freezshing... you know?" explained Veemon, blushing,

"Oh! Icy Wind!" nodded Kari, also blushing, everyone else was sniggering, "Let's go to bed, we don't want any teachers catching us here"

"Geez, you're right" muttered Davis, shuddering at the thought of what would happen if right now a teacher walked in the door, not only catching seven students out of bed, but also six weird animals too. The noise would probably wake up the entire school.

They returned to their rooms, and slept. Veemon had beaten Davis to it and finally got to sleep.

The next day, the rain had cleared. Most of the students had left the school, but Davis, Izzy, TK, Kari, Joe, Matt and Sora waited behind. Cody, Ken and Yolei came in the computer lab just as they were leaving.

"What's going on?" asked Yolei,

"We're about to go" answered Davis,

"How come all these digimon are here?" asked Cody, "And how come Veemon is a rookie?"

"We'll explain later" said Izzy, and opened the gate. They all went in to the digital world, and were around the forest of Primary Village today. Wormon, Hawkmon and Armadillomon were back to normal.

"Buzz if you see anything" said Izzy through the gate.

"Finally" sighed Dillomon, "I missed being a rookie"

"Because you can't eat as much as Oopamon" joked Cody,

"Now hang on" retorted Armadillomon, "That's not the... oh, yeah that is the reason"

"I think we need an explanation" said Hawkmon, "For example, why were you all in the real world?"

Izzy, Kari and TK explained about Kilhamon, and at the end, Veemon and Gatomon were treated with sympathy,

"Imagine that, not being able to digivolve" said Hawkmon,

"It's not too bad" said Gomamon, "At least he didn't catch us in our in-training forms"

"That's true" nodded Yolei, "What's that noise?"

They heard a grumbling sound. Davis ran to have a look, and a digimon was sitting on a log, muttering.

"Elecmon, what are you doing here?" asked Patamon,

"Oh, hi" said Elecmon, turning around, and sighing. Elecmon was a red rabbit digimon with long ears, a kind face with sky-blue eyes, a white stomach, blue stripes and had a very strange tail arranged as a fan of feathers. The last time he met the digidestined, he was looking after the baby digimon in Primary Village, where every wild digimon were born, before going to all areas of the world.

"Shouldn't you be in the village?" asked Gatomon,

"No" said Elecmon, "Because... I was fired"

"What?" asked everyone at once,

"Gennai said that Primary village wasn't safe enough, and they relocated" grumbled Elecmon, "Now, they've moved the birthplace to..." he made a sarcastic hand gesture, "The Tree of life, and that Swanmon is in charge"

"Have you heard about Kilhamon?" asked Kari,

"Yeah, I've met him alright" said Elecmon, frowning "That mutant fox put a curse on me"

"You too?" asked Gatomon,

"Oh, no, don't tell me he's cursed you too?" asked Elecmon, "That's the last thing we need, without you lot to stop him, who will?"

There was an awkward pause here.

"We're going to see Piximon" said Patamon, "Do you want to come too?"

"Might as well" sighed Elecmon, and he joined them in their walk to find Piximon. After half an hour, they met Gennai. They stopped so suddenly, that Veemon, who was walking behind Gatomon, accidentally bumped into her, and his hand went right on her...

"VEEMON YOU SICK PERVERT!" screamed the white cat, aiming a slash at Veemon's nose, but Kari calmed her down,

"But Kari, that kinky skink touched my..."

"He didn't mean to" assured Kari, Gatomon glared at Veemon, and walked away,

"Geez, you would think if tailgating was that dangerous she should have braking lights" whispered Davis, Veemon grinned, "So, how was it?"

"Soft" answered Veemon, Gennai noticed them and began to speak. Elecmon made to walk away, but Gabumon stopped him.

"There you are" said Gennai, "I've modified your digivices, you can use digimagic as well, now, but remember, it needs practice"

Kari and Davis nodded. Gennai went on and explained to Ken, Cody and Yolei about digimagic, when they heard another voice.

"I came as fast as I could" said a small pink digimon. He had wings, and a staff, and was nine inches high.

"Piximon, there you are" said Gennai, "I need you to do me a favour. Can you train these digimon how to use their digimagic?"

"Sure" said Piximon, "Alright, follow me"

Everyone followed Piximon through the forest, and listened to him talking gibberish about subjects they didn't even know about. He was worse than Cody's Grandpa. Davis and Veemon fell way back to avoid Piximon's boring lectures. They turned a corner, and saw the road had split. It was impossible to find out which way they had went, since the road was stone, and bared no footprints.

"Thish way" called Veemon, and ran down the left path. Davis followed him.

"You sure" asked Davis,

"Not really"

Davis stopped, and looked around. This path was dark, and didn't look very friendly.

"What'sh up?" asked Veemon, who returned.

There was strange sounds coming out of the trees.

"I don't think this is the way" said Davis, "Let's head back and double around"

Davis made to turn back, but the trees closed in on them. Davis jumped back, and saw that vines had completely blocked their path.

"Um, how did that happen?" asked Davis,

There was an evil laugh that echoed throughout the forest. Davis looked slowly at Veemon, who looked confused.

"What... was that?" asked Davis,

"Shearch me" shrugged Veemon,

Suddenly, a scary looking figure dropped out of the canopy. It looked like a tree stump with a face carved into it.

"Woodmon" stated Veemon, "What do you want?"

"You're the fool who fought Kilhamon aren't you" answered Woodmon. He attacked Veemon with a nasty slash, and Veemon was almost knocked out.

"Digivolve, if you can" laughed Woodmon.

"Fight back" called Davis. Veemon attacked, but didn't affect Woodmon very well. Woodmon retaliated by throwing sharp bark, and Veemon didn't take it very well.

"How do I use it?" thought Davis, looking at his digivice. It was blank.

"Come on, stupid thing" muttered Davis, shaking his D-3. It was still doing nothing. What could he do? Veemon was having a heck of a lot of trouble. Davis thought, and came up with an idea.

"Veemon, think about digivolving" he called,

"But I can't" answered Veemon,

"Remember what it's like to be... Flamedramon"

"Okay". Veemon paused, shutting his eyes. He remembered being six feet tall, he remembered the fire. Davis's digivice activated. It lit up, and Veemon felt very strong. Fire appeared,

"Flameshtrike!" Veemon shot the flame at Woodmon. The deranged tree stump yelled, and ran into the forest, on fire

"Whoa" said Davis, slowly, "So that's digimagic"

It took a while for Davis to take in what he just saw. It wasn't every day that your small blue and white friend shot a fireball at a tree stump.

"The vinesh are shtill there, sho we've got to go thish way" said Veemon, resuming their run. Apparently, Piximon did take this path, and they found the party about five minutes ahead. They joined them, panting.

"Where were you?" asked Yolei, angrily,

"Sorry... left behind" answered Davis,

"Keep up this time" she muttered, and looked ahead, "This guy is the most boring ball of cotton in the world"

Piximon was now giving marching orders like a sergeant. Yolei ignored it, as did Matt, Sora and Joe, but Kari, TK and Cody were humouring him.

"That's the way" called Piximon, "Now, chant!"

"No way am I singing" said TK, and stopped marching. Neither Kari or Cody sang, but Piximon went on as though they were all enjoying it. They all continued through the primary forest, hoping that Piximon would be as good help to them as last time.

What precisely does Piximon know about digimagic? How much potential do the cursed digimon have? When will Kilhamon attack again? Will Gatomon still permit Veemon to be alive? Find out in chapter 2 of this delightful fanfic!


	2. Piximons New Training

CHAPTER 2 - Piximon's New Training

**CHAPTER 2 - Piximon's New Training**

It was several hours before they left the forest, and saw a patch of desert ahead of them. Piximon led them right into it, and everyone was soon very hot.

"Here we are" said Piximon, and stopped next to a large cactus.

"Where? I don't see anything" said Cody, looking around, "WHOA!"

From under the ground, a big digimon appeared. This was Kuwagamon, who had caused major trouble for the digidestined seven years ago.

"Digivolve!" yelled Ken, but Piximon stopped everyone,

"No, let's see you use digimagic" he said, Veemon ran forward, grinning. A flame appeared in his hand,

"Flameshtrike!" The fire had a good effect on Kuwagamon, he was yelling in pain, but soon recovered, and aimed for Veemon with his large pincers.

"Leyden Clap!" Elecmon attacked this time, shooting a large bolt of lightning at the red insect. The humans were too shocked to say anything, except Davis, who was cheering Veemon on, his D-3 giving a small pulse of light at every attack,

"Well, it won't hurt if we tried" shrugged Matt, "Give it a go, Gabumon?"

"Sure" nodded Gabumon, he concentrated on ice, all the snow that he had seen in the mountain home he lived in, he got it, Matt's modified digivice was glowing,

"Icy Wind!" Kuwagamon made quavering noises now, and small ice crystals appeared on his body.

"I've got an idea" said Gabumon, and muttered something to Veemon and Elecmon. They nodded.

"Flameshtrike!" Veemon shot another flame at Kuwagamon, the ice on his body melted, and Elecmon took advantage of his dampness,

"Leyden Clap!" Sparks flew in the red insect's body, and he vaporized into data.

"Whooooa!" breathed the humans, in awe at the three digimons' attacks. They were just rookies, and they took down a champion without a scratch, Veemon looked at Gatomon, she was also awestruck.

"Well done!" called Piximon, smiling, he turned to a bare patch of desert,

"I still don't see anything" repeated Cody,

"You will" said Matt, and Piximon waved his staff. A large ring appeared, and it opened into an Oasis, with a large manor at the top of a mountain.

Everyone exhaled in awe, except Gomamon, who looked uneasily at the manor.

"Come in" said Piximon, and entered the ring. Everyone followed, and the ring disappeared behind them. They reached some stairs, and TK and Patamon walked up.

"Do we have to go up there?" asked Davis,

"Of course, how else?" asked Piximon,

"I'll just fly up there, no problems" said Hawkmon, and made to fly, but the moment he was over the steps, he crashed down.

"Sorry, no flying" said Piximon, and they walked up the thousand or so steps to the manor. Once inside, Piximon arranged them in line.

"Okay, this will be hard for all of us, because Digimagic is extremely hard, as Davis, Matt, Elecmon, Gabumon and Veemon have discovered. And only six of you can do it properly... Training will begin!" he announced, making everyone jump suddenly. Piximon was always quite unpredictable. Joe sighed, and made to the mops and buckets.

"Where are you going?" asked Piximon,

"You said, training will begin" said Joe,

"How is mopping the floor going to help you with Digimagic?" asked Piximon. Joe blinked, and rejoined the line.

Piximon clapped, and the room transformed. They were now facing several targets, and a few turrets were erected around the room.

"Demonstration" announced Piximon, and flew up in the air. He fired several spells at the targets, and they were all destroyed. Everyone clapped.

"Veemon, get here" barked Piximon suddenly.

"What?" asked Veemon, confused,

"He's called you up" whispered Davis, and gave Veemon a small push. He stood in the middle of the room,

"Now, to use digimagic, you have to concentrate" said Piximon, "How did you use the fire spell you did before?"

Everyone looked at Davis, who blushed. How did he of all people unlock the digimagic secret without any help?

"Um, I focushed on fire?" asked Veemon,

"That's right" said Piximon, "You have to focus on what spell you want to cast. You used fire attacks as Flamedramon, and you remembered that, and you used fire, that's good"

Everyone was looking at Veemon, who somehow managed to change his blue face red in the nervousness he was feeling.

"This should be good" whispered Gomamon,

"Now, use lightning on this target" said Piximon. Veemon blinked, and remembered what it was like being Raindramon. He remembered standing on four legs, and the lightning bolt blade on his forehead. He opened his eyes,

"Shtatic Bolt!" Veemon made a lightning bolt strike the target. Everyone gave a low, slow "Whoa!"

"That's the way" said Piximon, "Let's see, Gatomon, your turn"

Gatomon stood up and walked to the centre of the room.

"Now, who did you digivolve to... it was Nefertimon, wasn't it?"

Gatomon nodded,

"And that was a holy element digimon wasn't it?" asked Piximon,

"So?" asked Gatomon,

"So, you have to use Holy digimagic" continued Piximon, "Remember, focus"

Gatomon shut her eyes, and remembered being Nefertimon, the golden wig, the wings. She opened her eyes and a flash of blinding light filled the room.

"Light Column!" After a second, white orbs were seen orbiting around the target, then they all hit it, and the target was destroyed. Gatomon knelt down, panting. It seemed her attempt at digimagic took a lot more out of her.

"Well done!" shouted Piximon, "That's the way! Gomamon, your turn!"

It was quite a successful session. Gomamon had managed to break a target with a water attack, Gabumon froze his, and it shattered to pieces. Biyomon blew her target around with a wind spell, and Elecmon made a lightning bolt strike his target. Piximon was very satisfied, and gave everyone a large feast, and they all went to bed, except Elecmon, Patamon, Veemon and Sora.

"How did you do that without a digivice?" asked Sora again,

"I don't need a digivice" answered Elecmon, "All I do is focus on lightning, and it happens"

"Do you think any digimagic can be used without a digivice?" asked Patamon,

"Probably, but they help a lot in training" said Elecmon, "It took me a fair while before I got it right, but you lot got it on the first try"

"Exactly how long?" asked Patamon,

"Kilhamon was around for one year, and he was biding his time" said Elecmon, "I was one of the first cursed" he broke off, sighing, "Gennai fired me because I didn't defend the village properly" A tear rolled down his face, Veemon gripped his shoulder,

"So, for once, our digimon are powerful without our help" sighed Sora, changing the subject, "I hope we don't get separated"

"I don't think Biyomon will leave that eashily" said Veemon, "And I won't go in a hurry either, ush digimon need you humansh, shince you alwaysh come up with the plansh"

"What?" asked Sora. Veemon's lisp was very confusing, so Elecmon repeated his statement.

Sora seemed satisfied, and went to bed.

"I just wanted to say thanks for helping me out yesterday" said Patamon,

"It wash nothing" answered Veemon, scratching the back of his head,

"It didn't look like nothing" pointed out Patamon, "You were almost destroyed"

"Well... it's in the past now, and as long as we're all here" shrugged Elecmon. Patamon went to bed too.

"Don't you feel a bit left out that you don't have a partner?" asked Veemon,

"No" said Elecmon simply, "It does help having a human friend, but I prefer to fight my own battles"

"What do you mean by that?"

"You know, how you digidestined were fighting before?" said Elecmon "All the humans would do is bark orders out when you digimon did the actual fighting, plus they took most of the credit"

Veemon sighed. This was a cruel but accurate description of how they did fight before. First, he would digivolve, then fight, then Davis shouted out things to do at him, and when he won, he hardly ever received any thanks, but Davis would indeed take the credit. He looked over at his partner, Davis's snoring, combined with Gabumon's, was shaking the whole room,

"What'sh it like? Being able to follow your own goalsh than following shumone elshes?" he asked,

"There's two ways of putting it. It's great following your own dreams, but it's a lot harder work"

Elecmon had a habit of giving full answers, and soon Veemon fell asleep where he sat while Elecmon was going through the history of Primary Village when Veemon just asked him how he was.

"Wake up!" yelled Piximon in the morning. Everyone shot out of bed,

"What's the matter?" asked Elecmon,

"Kilhamon's attacking" answered Piximon, "Hurry!"

Everyone ran down to the manor entrance, and saw the familiar face of Kilhamon. TK, Ken, Cody and Yolei had played it safe and digivolved their digimon beforehand. Shakkaumon, Stingmon and Aquilamon stood ready, alongside their rookie allies.

Kilhamon advanced, levitating off the ground. Aquilamon attacked, but missed. Kilhamon was too fast. He cast a spell on Aquilamon, and he fell over the forest, out of view. Stingmon attacked, and it was more successful, but Kilhamon healed himself and blasted Stingmon out of the sky, leaving only Shakkaumon standing. Shakkaumon was an Ultimate digimon, and was much more of a challenge. He absorbed Kilhamon's attacks, and fired a few of his own, but Kilhamon deflected them. Finally, Kilhamon absorbed energy to his staff, and pointed it at Shakkaumon. He fired the energy and it shot right through Shakkaumon, giving him no chance to absorb it. He was badly damaged, and de-digivolved back to Patamon and Armadillomon. Kilhamon cast his deadly curse one more time, and aimed at Patamon. Armadillomon jumped in its way, and he was cursed now. Cody's digivice deactivated.

"Right, now it'sh our turn!" yelled Veemon. The six cursed digimon formed a line, and shot their digimagic at Kilhamon,

"Flameshtrike!"

"Icy Wind!"

"Light Column!"

"Rain Gate!"

"Gust Whirl!"

"Static Bolt!"

It was very effective. Kilhamon set up a barrier, and deflected the second wave of spells.

Kilhamon looked at the humans, their digivices out, supporting their partners. Kilhamon thought, and decided they had to go.

"Dimensional Gate!" He created a silver barrier around them, and transported them and their abled digimon back to the real world leaving the cursed digimon only.

"Who to kill?" he asked. He pointed his staff at Gatomon,

"Kilha Blast!" He shot a gold beam at her. Gatomon braced, and shut her eyes, but the beam never hit. She opened her eyes, and saw the back of Veemon. He had blocked the attack, but was making tragic noises and breathing faintly. He collapsed.

"That's it!" yelled Gabumon. Gatomon was so shocked; she didn't hear Gabumon's fierce roars as he attacked. Kilhamon disappeared.

Gatomon looked at Veemon, who was on his back. He didn't respond when she shook him gently. Tears fell out of Gatomon's eyes.

"First Wizardmon, now you" she gulped. Her tail ring glowed. She shut her eyes and concentrated and white haloes appeared around Veemon.

"This time, I won't let you go" she whispered, "Asura!". The wound disappeared, and Veemon's ruby eyes fell open.

"What happened?" he asked,

"You okay?" asked Gabumon, who ran up to them. Gatomon was still shocked.

Soon everyone was around the scene.

"Where are the humans?" asked Elecmon,

"They're back in the real world" answered Gomamon, "We're all alone"

"Kilhamon's shut the gate" said Armadillomon, "We're separated"

"What do we do?" asked Biyomon, "Are the other digimon still here?"

"No, Kilhamon banished them too" said Gabumon.

"So it's just the seven of us?" asked Gatomon, "Alone against Kilhamon?"

"I'm afraid it is" said Piximon, who joined them, "All you can do is resume your training, and let's hope that you become more powerful than Kilhamon"

Piximon left up the stairs. Armadillomon sighed.

"What will we do?" he asked,

"Welcome to SOCD" said Gabumon,

"Hey, SOCD sucks" said Biyomon, "How about we change the name again? I prefer Digimages to S-O-C-D"

"Yeah, that's better" agreed Armadillomon, "Digimages it is"

"What happened?" asked Davis. He, TK, Cody, Ken, Yolei, Kari, Matt, Joe, Sora, Patamon, Poromon and Leafmon were in the computer lab. "Where's the others?"

"It's no good, I can't get the gate open" said Izzy, looking at the computer screen, "It looks like our digimon are in charge now, good luck guys"

The digimages were training hard for the next few days. Veemon, as Gennai had said, seemed to be the most successful digimage, while Armadillomon still had trouble using one spell. Most unfortunately, Gatomon was too busy showing sympathy to Dillomon than to admire Veemon.

"Don't panic, you haven't had as much practice as the others" said Piximon kindly, to Armadillomon, after repeated failures, "I'm sure you'll get at least one spell right by tomorrow"

"What am I doing wrong?" asked Armadillomon.

"I think you're a defensive one" said Piximon, "You use defensive digimagic, and I think that's the problem"

Armadillomon stood in the centre of the room. The turrets around him activated.

"Okay, you're going to take some fire" said Piximon, "Try to use Ankylomon's defense"

One turret shot at Armadillomon. The ammo wasn't very strong, but it still made a nasty sound against his shell.

"Try again" said Piximon, and the turret fired again.

"Steel Curtain!"

A small barrier formed in front of Armadillomon, and the bullet bounced off. Everyone cheered.

Piximon gave them dinner, and announced something.

"I'm afraid I can't let you stay here any longer" he said formally, "I'm getting the place fumigated"

"About time too" muttered Veemon, scratching a nasty bite on his stomach,

"You're going to have to leave tomorrow, and I hope your training helps you well. And give Kilhamon a good kick from me"

The digimages had a short sleep before being evicted in the morning. The moment they set foot in the desert, they were immediately attacked by a lot of champion digimon. They retreated back into Piximon's oasis.

"A siege" exclaimed Gomamon. There were Tyrannomon, Tuskmon and Kuwagamon patrolling the area. Kilhamon was levitating in the middle, aiming at the gate.

"I'll distract them, you all escape" whispered Biyomon. She flew out of the Oasis, and shouted insults to Kilhamon.

"Hey, big nose!" she yelled. Kilhamon shot a spell at her, but it missed.

"You couldn't catch clap in a brothel!" yelled Biyomon. Kilhamon was soon very furious, and was chasing Biyomon around the desert, commanding the champion digimon to attack also.

"Let'sh go" whispered Veemon, and they carefully ran through the desert back into the Primary Forest. Biyomon joined them five minutes later.

"That should keep them busy for a while" she giggled. Behind her, all the digimon were attacking each other, and Kilhamon was trying to control them. He gave up after a while, and hovered their way, looking mad.

"This could get ugly" said Gabumon, "Everyone ready?"

They nodded, and prepared for Kilhamon.

The Digimages attacked, showering Kilhamon with a variety of spells.

"Flameshtrike!" Veemon had used fire,

"Mental Break!" Gatomon had used a special spell that can reduce the power of Digimagic,

"Water Spout!" Gomamon had summoned a tornado of water,

"Aero Gale!" Biyomon had used a tornado of air,

"Magic Hailstorm!" Gabumon had fired ice crystals,

"Electric Cloud!" Elecmon summoned a large dark cloud, and Armadillomon stood ready for when Kilhamon retaliated. Kilhamon survived the wave of spells, and most unfortunately, turned the spells around. Gabumon was attacked with fire, Gatomon had ice crystals showering upon her, and Gomamon was caught in a tornado, while Biyomon was being tossed around with the water spinner. Elecmon had suffered the digimagic reducing spell, and the dark cloud disappeared. Kilhamon shot another gold beam at Veemon, like the one he had used on Gatomon before, but the beam never hit.

"Moon Curtain!" Armadillomon had used a barrier to deflect the attack.

"Thanksh" panted Veemon, and got ready. He focused on being Exveemon this time, the ten foot monster that was his champion form. He remembered his attack, and he felt even more powerful than usual. The V rune on his forehead lit up, and began to absorb surrounding energy.

"Vee Lasher!"

A V shaped beam shot out of Veemon's hand, and hit Kilhamon in his stomach, winding him. Kilhamon teleported away and Veemon panted heavily. Gatomon went about healing everyone, and put her hand on Veemon's shoulder.

"Hey" she said gently, "You were great"

"I've been thinking" said Elecmon, "We need a leader for the, ahem, Digimages don't we?"

"Of course we do" agreed Gomamon, "But who?"

"I propose that Veemon is" said Gabumon. Everyone agreed,

"Why me?" asked Veemon,

"Why not?" asked Gatomon, "You know what to do for us, plus you made Kilhamon wet himself"

The digimages walked through the forest, and found themselves in a large but empty meadow.

"We can see things a mile off here" said Biyomon, standing on a hillock, "Anyone got food?"

"Err, no" confessed Armadillomon, not needing to point out that none of them had bags to store any food, "But I could go find some"

"I'll go too" said Gatomon, and looked around the meadow. Biyomon flew around, looking for trouble.

"Hey, Meemon, got yourself a girlfriend" said Gomamon cheekily, giving Veemon a sneer,

"No I don't" snapped Veemon, glaring stonily at the white and purple seal, "Buzsh off"

"Come on, have a laugh" said Gomamon, but he walked off all the same, and decided to pick on Gabumon's messy silver hair.

Veemon turned to Elecmon,

"You ever had a crush on someone?" he asked,

"Yeah" said Elecmon, watching Biyomon,

Veemon looked where Elecmon was staring, and looked slowly back, not believing it,

"You're joking"

"We can all dream" laughed Elecmon, "Anyway, what do you want to know?"

"Never mind" said Veemon quickly. He was put off, but Elecmon shook his head,

"It's Gatomon isn't it?" he asked. Veemon nodded, thinking it pointless to deny it. Elecmon sighed,

"I don't think you'll have too much trouble trying to get her affection anymore" he said, in the air of a father giving his son advice, "What you did in Piximon's place was really impressive. She's in your debt now, you saved her life, and when a fella saves a girl's life, it almost always works out"

Elecmon was watching Biyomon again. Veemon rolled his eyes and walked off, looking for food.

The meadow was more lucrative than first expected. Edible berries grew every few feet (Dillomon took a taste and said they were okay, Gatomon said he was a mindless bint with his brain in his stomach) and they soon sat down for a nice lunch, discussing their new power.

"This digimagic stuff's pretty cool" said Gomamon, munching on some mashed berries, "It's getting stronger, the more we practice"

"Yeah, I know" agreed Armadillomon, scoffing more berries than anyone else, "Soon, we'll be able to take out a mega in one blow"

"Don't be too rash" said Veemon, not eating much, he wasn't hungry,

"Why not?" asked Elecmon, also not eating, he didn't like the berries much, "You've only been a digimage for five days, and you can now use a champion level attack. Why is that by the way?"

"Why's what?" asked Biyomon, eating the berry seeds that the others discarded,

"Vee laser is a champion level technique, for example" explained Elecmon, everyone stared, Elecmon's train of thought seemed to derail a lot, "But what is the level of the other spells? Like Flamestrike and Leyden Clap?"

"Good question" thought Gatomon aloud, "I'd say they'd be between rookie and champion... what I still can't find is why you three took out a champion using the spells?"

"Three against one I guess" shrugged Gabumon, carefully picking the seeds of his berries out, "Kuwagamon isn't so tough, when the humans first came to the digital world, he lost to us seven rookies, without digimagic"

"But he won the second time" pointed out Biyomon,

"That was just against Agumon" pointed out Gabumon, eating a handful of seedless berries, "We didn't fight, remember? That was probably why Piximon was so nasty to us that time... anyway, in no time, we should move onto Ultimate level techniques..."

"But we're only rookie and champion level digimon" pointed out Armadillomon, "We can't just pick fights with whomever, we need defensive power too"

"We do" pointed out Veemon, everyone looked, "This digimagic stuff. As digimages, we slowly and steadily become stronger, in offence, defense, speed, power, all that. It's not quick and sudden like in digivolving. It's like Role-Play Games. Like... leveling up"

"Leveling up..." repeated Elecmon, confused,

"Yeah" nodded Gabumon, who also played role-play games, "I get it. The power of our digimagic makes us go to higher levels, and we're slowly becoming strong, maybe even better than megas. We level up in experience... I get it now"

They paused, Gomamon gaining some laughs by mimicking Elecmon behind his back,

"How did you grow your hair so fast?" asked Biyomon. Gabumon looked uneasy again.

"We won't laugh" said Veemon, giving Gomamon a stern look.

"I spent a while in the mountains" answered Gabumon, his hair blowing majestically in the breeze, making everyone impressed at the wolf digimon, "I just needed a break for a while, and it helped me get stronger"

"Three years in the mountains?" repeated Gatomon, "How did you pass time?"

"Surviving" answered Gabumon, "You don't get bored when there are monsters visiting you every day"

"That sounds very exciting" said Gomamon, smirking, "I've only been selling Sandy's sea shells by the sea shore"

Biyomon and Armadillomon smirked.

"Shut up" snapped Veemon, knowing that insult was directed at him, "Sho what if I've got shpeech problemsh?"

"So you won't swim synchronized up the Mississippi?" asked Gomamon. Biyomon and Dillomon completely cracked up, even Elecmon coughed to hide his laugh.

Veemon got up and left, cursing.

"That was cruel" scolded Gatomon, "What's he ever done to you?"

"Okay, okay, I won't do it again" said Gomamon. Gatomon turned back to Gabumon, and they had a chat about their adventures. Elecmon smiled, so things were looking bright for Veemon now. Gatomon had defended him, when she would normally add a few insults.

Veemon didn't return all afternoon. He was sitting next to a stream, looking at it coldly, and muttering under his breath, "Shandy Shold Shee Shells by the Shee Shore" and "Shwim shyncronished up the mishishippi", trying to get it right, but then the practice changed to "Shtupid, shmart-arsh sheal" when Gomamon's words entered his mind. He hated people teasing him about his speech impediment, and now he couldn't digivolve to change that. He was stuck in his short, pathetic, lisping form. Veemon began to feel very miserable as the sun set, so he got up and walked back toward where the others were. Nobody was there, just a lot of berry stalks and seeds.

'They leave me behind, fine' he thought, 'I can look after myself', but he wasn't fooling anyone. He wandered all over the meadow, looking for the others, but none appeared. He was about to give up when something caught his eye over the horizon. Glowing orange balls were flying in the air and all coming from one spot. Veemon ran all the way to where the fireballs were coming from, and thankfully found someone who wouldn't ask him "Been skiing and sledding in the snow?"

Agumon was breathing fireballs in the dark, apparently bored. He was an orange lizard with large head, emerald green eyes, and had long sharp claws on his hands and feet.

"Oh, hi" he greeted when Veemon approached, "You haven't seen Tai around anywhere?"

Tai was Agumon's human partner. He was around Matt's age and height, and also had extremely spiky hair that reminded one of a bird's nest.

"No... have you heard of Kilhamon?" asked Veemon

"Yeah, so?" asked Agumon,

"You won't shee Tai for a while becaushe Kilhamon'sh shut the gate to the real world, and we're shtuck here without any humansh"

"So, you're stuck here without being able to digivolve?" asked Agumon,

"Yeah, and I couldn't if I tried. Kilhamon'sh shtopped ush all from digivolving"

"That's... bad" said Agumon, not able to find a better word in his shock, "Who's gonna stop him now?"

"Well, there ish one way" said Veemon, and explained to Agumon about Digimagic,

"You can only ushe it if you've been curshed"

"Wow" said Agumon, "So Kilhamon's just a rookie, and he defeated Shakkaumon?"

"And Metalgarurumon" added Veemon, somberly, making Agumon's jaw drop,

"No way! Metalgarurumon can't lose to a rookie" he spluttered,

"Well, he did" shrugged Veemon, "Ashk Gabumon if you can't believe me"

Agumon sighed, "I wish I could warp-digivolve without a digivice"

"That would be usheful" sighed Veemon,

"So where are the others?" asked Agumon, "You said 'us' didn't you?"

"We got shplit up" explained Veemon, glad that Agumon didn't tease his speech.

"We'll look for them tomorrow" said Agumon, and looked to the nest of twigs he set up. He shot a fireball at it, and a large fire came into existence.

"The ground's a bit stiff, but this is all that's here" explained Agumon. He slept on one side of the fire, but Veemon stayed up on the other side, whispering "Shandy shold shee shells" under his breath. He finally nodded off around midnight.

Will Veemon meet back up with the team? If so, will he be able to say "Sam's Sallet (or similar)" without sounding like a kid? Also, what will happen with Agumon joining their quest? Find out in Chapter 3


	3. The Dragon Digimage

**CHAPTER 3 - The Dragon Digimage**

A loud bang woke Veemon up in the morning. He saw Agumon over the fire, holding a wrecked can of beans. Beans flew everywhere.  
"Um, breakfast" said Agumon uncertainly. Veemon picked beans from his face and ate them grumpily.  
"You're shupposhed to cook them out of the can" he explained,  
"But I couldn't get the lid off" said Agumon, "It beats me how humans like this camping stuff"  
Veemon was about to say "Because they've got at least one brain cell between them" but he prevented himself. He shouldn't be that cold to Agumon, after all, he had given him a place to sleep when otherwise he would be alone. And at least the explosion efficiently woke him up, and there wasn't much wait for breakfast.  
"We've got to get out of here quickly, because Tyrannomon normally come here in the mid-morning" said Agumon, "And they've got the worst case of falling out of the wrong side of beds I've ever seen".

He got up and briskly walked from the campsite, with Veemon following. They went through a small gorge in the mountains before facing a slowly flowing stream. The water was quite clean, and there were hardly any rocks around. Agumon stepped in the water,  
"What'sh going on?" asked Veemon,  
"We've got to get across" said Agumon, "And the water will get the baked beans out"  
Despite being of fire element, Agumon wasn't a bad swimmer. He reached the other side in no time at all.  
"It's a bit cold" he shuddered.  
Veemon dived in immediately. He wasn't a bad swimmer either, or so he thought. In the middle, he began to sink. He swam more vigorously, but it was like swimming in air. He soon grew tired and sank right below the surface.  
"Trust him to make things worse" huffed Agumon, jumping back into the chilly stream, and pulled Veemon back to the surface. They both climbed onto the bank, shivering and coughing.  
"I thought... KA! That you c-could swim" spluttered Agumon. Veemon was too shocked to reply.  
"Come on" panted Agumon. He ran quickly away, but Veemon was too cold to keep up. Why couldn't he swim anymore? He could swim slightly before, he should know, all the times Gatomon pushed him in the lake when he tried to gain her affection. This time, it was as though he was never meant to swim. Agumon breathed a fireball in the air every ten seconds to show the others where they were, which was probably a bad idea, because a Tyrannomon looking for some breakfast found their trail and began to pursue them. Veemon couldn't run any longer, so he stood ready to fight.  
"No, you'll be barbecued!" called Agumon, stopping.  
"Blaze Blaster!" Tyrannomon shot a stream of fire at Veemon, but he evaded it easily,  
"Vee Lasher!" he shot a V shaped laser back at the large red dinosaur. The attack almost knocked Tyrannomon out, but he recovered quickly and launched into a combo attack with claws, tail and teeth. Veemon had an effort dodging, so Agumon came to assist. He jumped in the air and aimed for Tyrannomon's nose.  
"Claw Attack!"  
Agumon stabbed his sharp claws into the dinosaur's face, and he fell to the ground, out cold.  


"How did you do that?" asked Agumon, impressed,  
"Do what?" asked Veemon,  
"I thought you could only do that attack in your champion form" said Agumon,  
"Thish ish what I've been meaning about digimagic" explained Veemon, "I can use the attacksh from my other formsh with it"  
"Wow" exclaimed Agumon, and he only walked from there on, talking.  
"Do you still like Gatomon?" he asked,  
"Why do you want to know?" asked Veemon testily,  
"I'm just saying, you might have a better chance with her if she knows that you're much more powerful" said Agumon, "What I mean is, it's a lot more impressive if you can fight by yourself than digivolving and fighting"  
"That'sh a good point" said Veemon, "Who are you going out with?"  
"I've been wanting to go out with Palmon for a while" answered Agumon, blushing slightly, "But I can't tell her"  
"Jusht wait for the moment" suggested Veemon, "You'll know"  
"Who told you that?" asked Agumon. Veemon sighed, for once he had advice for someone else, but Agumon saw right through this.  
"Elecmon" said Veemon, "He'sh with the othersh, he'sh been fired from Primary village"  
"Yeah, I've heard about the tree of life" said Agumon, "It's a real shame"  
He shot another fireball in the air, and to both their surprise, a blue pillar of fire shot into the sky in reply.  
"That's Gabumon" exclaimed Agumon, "Let's go see"  
The two of them ran toward Gabumon's beacon and found the other digimages on a plain.  
"Didn't bother to wait up for me didn't you?" asked Veemon coldly when he caught up to them,  
"Sorry" answered Gomamon, "We just..."  
"Yeah, yeah" said Veemon sarcastically, he was quite upset that they had gone so far without bothering to look for him, but he noticed they were wet too, they had obviously swam across as well, and if he had gone with them, he would have embarrassed himself in front of Gatomon, so he was secretly glad he was left behind. After all, it was sort of his fault for walking out on the team, so he sighed,  
"Agumon, how have you been?" asked Gabumon to break this awkward moment. Agumon talked about what he had been doing in the past three years, and what happened this morning. For the sake of friendship he avoided mentioning Veemon and the stream, but he did go through a hit-by-hit description of their fight with Tyrannomon.  
"Well, that's something to brag about alright" said Elecmon when Agumon finished, "Not much other rookies could take on a sixteen foot, fire breathing dinosaur"  
"Um, Gabumon" began Agumon, "Did Kilhamon really defeat Metalgarurumon?"  
"Yeah, he did" sighed Gabumon, "His digimagic is more powerful than Piedmon and Myotismon put together"  
Agumon shuddered,  
"Shall we continue?" asked Biyomon, she was flying slowly away. Everyone else followed, talking.  
"I can't believe you had baked beans for breakfast" said Gabumon in envy; "All I got was a massive stomach ache from those berries yesterday"  
Veemon looked at Armadillomon, whose face was purple, apparently very sick. He had eaten the most berries.  


"Did you cross the stream alright?" asked Gabumon, "It took us a fair while for us... AAAGH!"  
The ground below them gave way, and everyone except Biyomon fell into the network of tunnels below. There were four passageways, and two fell into each one. Gatomon fell on Armadillomon, Agumon and Elecmon were in the same passage, Gomamon had a soft landing (on Veemon) and Gabumon was in a passage by himself.  
"Everyone okay?" asked Biyomon, peering into the roves of the four tunnels. There were seven moans in reply.  
"I'll come down too" she called, and flew into Gabumon's passage.  
"Could you see anything up there?" he asked when she flew in,  
"No" answered Biyomon, "This must be a Drimogemon family's work. They all dig an individual tunnel, but don't worry, they all lead in the same direction"  
"Then we'd better head on" called Elecmon, "We'll stop where the tunnels intercept"  
Everyone agreed, and they were soon on their way.

"I'm sorry I teased you, Deemon" said Gomamon,  
"Well you'd better be becaushe nexsht time I'll dig more dirt on you than Drimogemon can in a week, and it'sh VEEMON!" he pointed to the large and obvious V on his forehead, "Doeshe thish look like a D to you?". Gomamon took this seriously, because Veemon had a long time to dwell on what to say the next time he was teased.  
"Do you think that our digimagic will get any stronger?" asked Gomamon,  
"Of Courshe it will" answered Veemon, "It can only get shtronger, like our digivolving, we didn't shtart off ash mega firsht up did we? We jusht need to practishe a lot"  
"In that case, where's Kilhamon, I feel like toasting that runt right now" said Gomamon, slashing the air.  
"Shettle down, shave it for the real thing" said Veemon,  
"But I don't have a razor" complained Gomamon. Veemon was deciding whether to pound him or not.

"So, what have you been doing since the tiff with Blackwargreymon?" asked Elecmon. Agumon stared at him; a tiff was a fatal understatement to what he had gone through.  
"It's been very boring" sighed Agumon, "I spend about a week in one place, and then move to another. Why do you think that some jerk regularly tries to take over the world?"  
"The quest for power I guess" shrugged Elecmon, "Some people want more of it, and selfishly takes it all for themselves. I really hate it, so much people get hurt in the wars that follow"  
"What war?" asked Agumon, who was very confused at Elecmon's speech, and just asked a question to make it seem he understood.  
"We're fighting one right now" said Elecmon, "The eight of us against Kilhamon, that is assuming you're on our side"  
"Of course I am" said Agumon, "Just give me the word and I'll get everyone I can to join you. He's just a rookie isn't he?"  
"He may be a rookie, but he'd even take down a mega level digimon" said Elecmon,  
"Hey, if you beat him, you'd be able to take down a mega digimon too" pointed out Agumon,  
"Well, we're best in a team" said Elecmon, "Kilhamon may be more powerful than us individually, but we've got our powers spread out"  


"What do you mean by that?" asked Agumon,  
"Well, Veemon and Gabumon are our offence, Armadillomon is our defense, Biyomon is our speed, and Gomamon is our... um, secondary... offence, yeah, so am I, and Gatomon is our support. Put our powers together, and we're very strong"  
"Do you think I'll be able to use digimagic?" asked Agumon,  
"I wouldn't wish it on you" said Elecmon, a bit pessimistically, "We've all been cursed by Kilhamon, and we can't digivolve, which isn't much of a change to me because I couldn't digivolve in the first place, and there might be some nasty side effects too"  
Agumon thought hard.  
"Is there any way to change the curse?" he asked,  
"No" sighed Elecmon, "Gennai said Kilhamon permanently changed our data and deleted the digivolving program, which gave way for the digimagic program to form. He also said if we get, you know, destroyed, we won't come back"  
"What?!" asked Agumon, shocked, "So once you die, that's it?"  
"Yeah" sighed Elecmon, "Now we're a lot like humans, so we've got to be careful"  
"If you're humans, then why don't you get human names?" asked Agumon, "Like Tai or Davis?"  
"We're not humans, but that's something to think about" said Elecmon, scratching his rabbit like ears,

Gatomon and Armadillomon were talking about a strategy against Kilhamon.  
"It would help if the others were here" sighed Gatomon, "Okay, let's go over what we've talked about"  
"What we've got to do in the fight is to attack in waves. I'll be there from the start, protectin' everyone from Kilhamon's spells, and you heal anyone who gets hit, because if we die, it's all over"  
Gatomon nodded, exhaling.  
"The first wave will involve Elecmon, Biyomon, Gabumon and Gomamon because four targets are harder to hit" she continued, "And Kilhamon will waste his energy while they exchange blows. When Kilhamon starts to get weak, that's when we roll in Veemon, since he's got more power. Speaking of which, we should train for this, so we get stronger too"  
"We'll do that when we get out of here" nodded Armadillomon, "Who's that?"  
Shadows were moving ahead of them, but it just turned out to be Gabumon and Biyomon. Apparently their tunnels merged ahead.

Later on, the four of them found another junction, and waited for Elecmon and Agumon, and finally, they met up with Veemon and Gomamon outside. Both of them had nasty wounds.  
"What happened?" asked Gatomon immediately, their bruising too obvious against their white coloring.  
"We met the fella who made thish tunnel" said Veemon, pointing over his shoulder to a burned and soaked Drimogemon, "He attacked ush"  
"Well, you were in my home" argued Drimogemon,  
"If you would've jusht let ush passh through, we wouldn't be in this mesh" replied Veemon, his nose dented.  
"There's no mesh around here" said Drimogemon, "I said I was sorry"  
"Shut up, the lot of you" said Gatomon firmly. She healed the three of them, and then told Drimogemon about Kilhamon.  


"He's even worse than this lisping jerk here" exclaimed Drimogemon. Veemon's face turned red.  
"Can you help us?" asked Gatomon,  
"Sure, I'll get the fellas underground to help" said Drimogemon, and he crawled back down the tunnel.  
"There'll be steam coming out of your ears soon" said Gomamon. Veemon turned purple, and Gomamon could have sworn he saw smoke behind his ears.  
"Come on" said Elecmon, quickly, pulling Gomamon away, "You shouldn't poke a sleeping dragon in the eye"  
"Anyway, we've come up with a strategy to fight Kilhamon" announced Gatomon, "So listen up"  
Everyone gathered around Gatomon, and listened to what she had to say. She told them the strategy she and Armadillomon had discussed in the tunnel. When she had finished, everyone looked at Veemon,  
"Why do I finish him off?" he asked, turning red again under everyone's gaze,  
"Because you're the strongest one here" said Dillomon, "Believe it or not, your laser is the strongest thing we have"  
"And we've got to practice a lot before the real thing" said Gatomon, "We don't know when that is, it could be now, it could be in a week, but try to fit in as much practice as possible, everyone"  
"What do I do?" asked Agumon,  
"You get as much allies as you can" said Gatomon, "Outnumbering Kilhamon will rise our odds nicely"  
"Well, it's a bit late for that now isn't it?" said a nastily familiar voice. Kilhamon was back, and this time looked more menacing than ever.  
"Tungsten Cannon!"  
Without any delay, he attacked Gatomon with a golden beam. Veemon immediately jumped in front of her again, and he collapsed where she stood. Elecmon tried to get him back on his feet, but he couldn't do much. Kilhamon then fired another gold beam at Gatomon, and it was a direct hit, Veemon couldn't block it, he was on the ground. She collapsed, unconscious. Veemon was still conscious. He saw the other six digimon fighting very fiercely, but Kilhamon plucked them off one by one.  
"That worked easily didn't it?" said Kilhamon, "Take out the healer and the main cannon first and it's all over for the dream team, ha ha ha!"  
Veemon stood up, shaking with anger, his left leg bleeding. Kilhamon braced. Veemon ran, and gained speed too. Kilhamon set up a barrier, but it didn't do anything, mainly because Veemon ran straight past.  
"That's the only thing you can do" called Kilhamon, "You can run but you can't hide"  
Veemon wasn't running away, he was just gaining speed. Sure, his leg was injured, but the pain left him. He saw the entire world flash by, and he saw the figure of Kilhamon ahead. He had ran all the way around the planet, and he knew what to do.  
"Avenger!" He fired his laser when he was a top speed, then he stopped, exactly where he was before. Kilhamon was stunned, but still there. He aimed his octagon rod at Veemon, and it absorbed black energy. This was it. The last digimon who stood a chance against Kilhamon was about to snuff it. Veemon awaited his fate, when something appeared over the horizon. His familiar V laser had also gone around the planet too, and it went through Kilhamon a second time. It did so another whopping six times, and as it did so, one of his allies stirred at every hit. On the eighth orbit, Kilhamon was indistinguishable. He hovered in the air like a dusty statue, his clothes all burned and his staff snapped in two. Finally, Kilhamon fell down to Earth, and 

vaporized into data. Veemon fainted, the pain in his leg too great.  
"Did you see that?" asked Gomamon, in awe when everyone else had woken up, "What a show!"

Veemon remained unconscious for several days, but according to Gatomon, he was still alive, just the energy needed for his attack really drained him. She had a talk with Biyomon three nights later.  
"Do you know how it feels to like a guy?" asked Gatomon,  
"I think you feel really nervous around him, and you can't get him out of your mind" answered Biyomon, "Why? Who do you like, Gats?"  
Gatomon didn't answer, but Biyomon knew.  
"It's him isn't it?" she asked, glancing at Veemon,  
"No!" said Gatomon, quickly, Biyomon laughed,  
"You can't fool me" she smirked, "You've been sitting here ever since he was knocked out, that means you care about him" she sang the last sentence in a teasing way,  
"I'm returning the favor" shrugged Gatomon, "He saved my life..."  
"Gats, you can't fool me" said Biyomon, clearly, nudging Gatomon, "Look at him, admit it, he turns you on"  
"I don't know" said Gatomon, "He seems nice, but... I'm not sure"  
"I say go for it" suggested Biyomon, "He almost died to save you, and he's about your size"  
Gatomon looked to the night sky.  
'What about Patamon?' she thought. Patamon had been her friend since they fought the dark masters, with their similar digivolutions, but Patamon on a date? No, he just didn't seem right. Patamon was more like a caring brother to her. Veemon, on the other hand, was indeed more agile than Patamon, but his personality didn't seem right. He was more of a loser, but ever since he learned digimagic, he had been changing, into a more wise and sensible person. Maybe the time without Davis was worth it, and now Veemon was strong enough to fight the strongest, all by himself. Also, he was prepared to sacrifice his life to save her against Kilhamon. Plus, she would look a lot better going on a date with Veemon than Patamon, though the idea still seemed completely barmy.  
"Anything else you want to talk about?" asked Biyomon,  
"I think Elecmon fancies you" giggled Gatomon,  
"No, way!" said Biyomon, shocked  
"Well, what did you just say?" asked Gatomon,  
"I think you and Veemon would go nicely, but me and Elecmon, pah-lease! He snores, and he's not man enough, looking after babies for half his life" said Biyomon, counting the reasons on her wingtips,  
"But he's mature, and smart" pointed out Gatomon,  
"Then you date him" retorted Biyomon,  
"No! Alright, then who do you like, Byz?" asked Gatomon,  
"I like Gabumon, the strong, silent type" said Biyomon, "But I wish he wouldn't act so shy"  
"What? I thought you liked Hawkmon, he seems to be a real gentlemon, plus you both seem right for each other, both birds, both fight under the crest of love..."  
"But Hawkmon isn't here is he?" asked Biyomon, "Well, it's just that Gabumon impresses me, even if we are different, and Hawkmon doesn't. What else do you like about Veemon?"

Their girl talk continued throughout the night, and most unfortunately, Veemon came to around morning, and he remained unnoticed. He could only pretend to sleep as Gatomon and Biyomon loudly talked about their friends. So this was what women talked about when they thought no men were around. Veemon grinned secretly when they started on Gomamon ('That seal looks cute, but he is such a tool!'), and Biyomon left when the sun had fully risen. Gatomon watched the clouds float by above, and Veemon pretended to wake up half an hour later.  
"Oh, hello, did you have a nice sleep?" asked Gatomon, getting up  
"What day ish it?" asked Veemon,  
"You were out for three" said Gatomon, helping him up. Veemon felt oddly stiff.  
"Sho, Kilhamon'sh gone now?" he asked,  
"Yeah, thanks to you" said Gatomon, "The others are around, watching out for anything funny, 'cause usually when we defeat one evil villain, a more powerful one takes his place"  
Just as she finished, Agumon ran into the clearing, panting.  
"Great, you're alright" he panted, "Really bad news. There is another villain, and another three to top that off"  
"Another four?" asked Veemon, his ears drooping "Thish ishn't a good day"  
"They're all Kilhamon's brothers and sisters" said Agumon, "One family you don't want to run into"  
"Brothers and sisters?" asked Gatomon, "Okay. It's about time that you go find some allies, Agumon, and find some more info on them while you're at it"  
Agumon nodded, and ran away.  
"Vee, we've all been training hard to get some new heights on this Digimagic stuff. We've done this so far..."  
Gatomon said that Elecmon had also discovered healing, Gomamon now could poison and blind enemies, Biyomon can use fire spells too, Gabumon could speed up and slow down people's time, and Armadillomon discovered some really cool spells involving earthquakes  
"That'sh a shtart" said Veemon, scratching his weird ears, "I shupposhe we should go too"  
"Well..." Gatomon was wondering whether she should stay and talk while they had the chance or wait later, "Okay" she decided not to, now wasn't the time.

Soon, all seven of them were training as hard as humanely possible, and were soon getting new powers by the minute. They had discovered that even things in their imagination can help with digimagic, as well as focusing on attacks. As Elecmon had mentioned before, Veemon had the widest array of spells to use. He could shoot fire, strike with lightning, create a freezing wind, summon a tornado of water, whip up a twister of air and even could use Gatomon's Holy spell. Gabumon could use mostly offensive spells too, but also could speed up or slow down friends and foes by hacking into time. Armadillomon always came up with some useful spells that helped them in battle, like making them immune to ice, or creating a special barrier that reflected the spell back to the caster, Biyomon's arsenal was very scattered, but still useful. She could make an ally able to double their digimagic power, and also create a twister of fire that would devastate any enemy. Gomamon could give the enemy almost anything from fatigue, to poisoning, to freezing, to even viruses. He also tried practicing on one very powerful spell that would create flashes of Aurora, but it needed a lot of work. Elecmon trained hard in healing, and soon became good with it. Having two healers is much better than one, because before, if anything happened to Gatomon, they would be without a healer, and everyone else could be plucked off like before. Gatomon could also use a few barrier spells for defense, but her healing 

spells were her main gift. Two weeks into the training, a small army appeared on the plain, led by Agumon. By then, the digimages had beefed up their skills so much that they felt like having another round against the dark masters.

"I've found some who want to help" he said proudly.  
"That'sh great, we've finished training" said Veemon, "Any ideash on where the evil guysh are?"  
"Absolutely nothing" sighed Agumon, "They're all in hiding, they're planning something big"  
"Then what do we do?" asked a digimon in the large group behind Agumon, and everyone else agreed that they didn't walk halfway across the globe to wait around, they wanted action. Veemon sweatdropped.  
"Ishn't there shum short of obvioush evil fella'sh plashe?" he asked Agumon,  
"About two thirty" answered Agumon. Gomamon smirked.  
"Ish - there - shum - short - of - obvioush - evil - fella'sh - plashe?" repeated Veemon slowly,  
"Orange. What does my favourite color have to do with anything?" asked Agumon. Everyone on the field laughed, and Veemon turned red again.  
"SHTOP IT!" he yelled, "WE'RE HERE TO SHAVE THE WORLD... RRRAAAAAGH!"  
"You'll... need a big razor for that" squeaked Gomamon between laughing. Veemon stormed off, some digimon crying with mirth.

How will Veemon regain his team's respect? Who are the Digimages' new enemies? Will their allies be enough to stop them?  
Find out in Chapter 4


	4. The Necromancers

**CHAPTER 4 - The Necromancers**

Veemon sat in solitude for a while again. How was he supposed to get respect with his pathetic lisping? He thought about each of his allies and the amount of respect they get. Gatomon's a champion in a world of rookies. Of course she would get respect, she could take their heads off with one attack. Elecmon was wise, and always gave the right answer from his archives of experience, but Veemon didn't have much experience at all. Biyomon was easy-going and had some witty come-backs up her sleeve, Gomamon was a pest, but Gatomon and Biyomon both thought he was a tool. Armadillomon was always generous, even if he did eat like an elephant, he always would ask the others if they wanted some of his food first. Gabumon was strong and silent. Veemon pinpointed the problem that faced him, he was too loud. Maybe if he acted more silent, and gave others less chance to tease his lisp if he didn't talk as much. He returned to the field, and found a note on the place where they were talking.

Veemon

We've gone ahead this time, sorry about earlier. We've left a trail behind so you can catch up (Give me the word and I'll wire Gomamon's mouth shut)

Gatomon

Veemon ran along the many footprints that the others left behind. It was dusk before he caught up to them, but as he walked through the crowd he heard mutters of "Sandy sold sea shells". Veemon just took a deep breath when he had the urge to chuck it, and soon reached his seven friends sitting around one of the many fires. He joined them,  
"You okay?" asked Elecmon,  
"Yeah"  
The others looked surprised at Veemon's one word response.  
"Um, Eemon..." began Gomamon, but Gabumon nudged him  
"It's Veemon" he whispered,  
"Yeah... Veamon" continued Gomamon, "Are you still angry at me?"  
"Yesh" said Veemon firmly, Gomamon sighed.  
"We're trying to lure Kilhamon's brothers and sisters here, do you want to hear the plan?" asked Elecmon,  
"Okay"  
Elecmon said several volunteers were spying around the cities looking for fishy stuff. They were camping in this field because it was very central, and they could move to another place very quickly.  
"Nishe plan" exclaimed Veemon, "What'sh for dinner?"  
Gatomon was about to answer when Palmon appeared.  
"Floramon's seen them in Megrhea" she told them, "What do we do?"  
"Eat firshte, then go to Megrhea" answered Veemon,  
"Why is eating so important?" asked Biyomon,  
"Nothin's more important than eating" said Dillomon, "We'll need to hurry though, I'll have your leftovers"  
They had one of Gatomon's energy-rich recipes for dinner, and then got everyone ready for the dangerous trip to Megrhea.  
"Any words, Veemon?" asked Elecmon,  
"This should be good" muttered one digimon to another,  
Veemon opened his mouth, and saw most of the crowd were getting ready for a laugh.  
"Good luck, and fight hard" called Veemon to the crowd, and turned to go. The crowd stared, open-mouthed.  
"What a waste of money" commented one of them,  
"Um, all we have to do, is to get them out of Megrhea, that's all" added Agumon, "Keep behind Armadillomon if you're wounded and try not to keep in a group, they might be able to wipe out twenty square feet in one go"  
They traveled all night to get to Megrhea. They heard yawning from Agumon's friends, but it couldn't be helped. If they slept, they would just leave Kilhamon's family free to wreak havoc all over the place. Agumon's briefing worried a lot of them, and they had second thoughts about going to Megrhea. Half of them left overnight, making their allies in battle look much less strong.  
"It's their choice" sighed Gabumon,  
Gatomon tapped Veemon's shoulder, and she took him away from the crowd slightly,  
"Why are you acting all silent?" she asked,  
"Becaushe I'm trying to gain their reshpect" answered Veemon, "I'm shick of them teashing my lishp"  
"Well, I don't like it when you're all silent" said Gatomon, "You're better when you're loud, and when you voice your feelings, because it's, well..." she broke off,  
"What?"  
"It's what I like about you" finished Gatomon, and she walked quickly back to the crowd.

They reached Megrhea at midnight. They saw four flying digimon rampaging around, and they looked a lot like Kilhamon. One wore rusted armour, one had a pointed hat with ornamental wings attached, one had a very weird head ornament and wore a long flashy dress, and one wore a jester's hat with clothing that clashed terribly.  
"FIRE!" yelled Armadillomon when they were in suitable range.  
"Pyro Circle!" Veemon used a very spectacular fire spell on one of them,  
"Holy Providence!" Gatomon summoned the orbs of light that rotated like electrons, then assaulted with a pillar of light  
"Taiga Dust!" Gabumon summoned a strong breeze that carried with it shards of ice  
"Amper Flash!" Elecmon clapped and flashed lightning  
"Pepper Breath!" Agumon breathed a ball of fire  
"Kraken Shot!" Gomamon shot one large sphere of water  
"Autumn Runner!" Biyomon used a slightly stronger wind spell that stripped the trees in the avenue of their orange leaves.  
Kilhamon's family were surprised by the attacks, but they retaliated equally strong, leaving the seven of them either on the ground or winded. Armadillomon was the only one left standing. The digimon behind him began to attack, but the evil one with the jester uniform used a spell, and they all disappeared with the same teleport spell Kilhamon had used.  
"Ah, finally we have some good guys to oppose us" he sighed, waving around a stick with a puppet on the end. Shall we introduce ourselves? I am Bardmon, master of trickery". The one with the rusted armour was next,  
"I am Lorheasmon" he roared, swishing his sword, "Knight of shadows"  
"I am Shamonesmon" said the female with the ornamental wings, "Mistress of beasts"  
"And I am Zyndromon, Sorceress of Darkness" announced the one with the extremely weird head ornament that looked like a beady fan with banners, "We are the strongest digimages in the world, and we will crush anyone who opposes for our objective. We are the Necromancers. So, armoured... traveler. Are you with us or against us?"  
"That depends" called Armadillomon, "What do you want?"  
"Pizza" answered Bardmon,  
"That's alright then" called Armadillomon, but Bardmon laughed madly,  
"No, we don't want Pizza, you fool" he yelled, "We want control not only over the digital and real worlds, but over life and death itself!"  
The other three agreed, laughing demonically.  
"Do these fellas practice in front of the mirror or something?" asked Armadillomon to himself.  
"Now, to get rid of you" said Bardmon cruelly, and his jester baton glowed black. He waved it, and sent a dark beam at Armadillomon, but he knew what to do.  
"Glow Curtain!" He set up the mirror shield and sent the dark spell back at Bardmon, who dodged it.  
"Alright, we'll just help ourselves to the others then" sighed Bardmon, and zoomed down to the seven out allies. Armadillomon couldn't do anything about it, his attacks were Earth based, and the evil digimon hovered above the ground. He could shake it all he liked, but it wouldn't do anything. Bardmon kidnapped Biyomon, Shamonesmon took Elecmon, Zyndromon picked up Gomamon and Lorheasmon grabbed Gatomon, and left.  
"Oh, and here's a little gift we send" called Bardmon, and launched a glowing orb over his shoulder. Armadillomon reacted just in time, the orb touched his barrier and exploded immensely, destroying the entire block.

Dillomon looked behind him, and saw that Veemon, Agumon and Gabumon were still alright.  
"Where did they go?" asked Veemon angrily,  
"They took them" sighed Dillomon, "I couldn't do anything"  
"That'sh caushe you can't do anything!" yelled Veemon, beginning to turn red,  
"Veemon, stop it!" said Agumon, "Yelling won't get them back, just calm down and think"  
"All we can do is find them" sighed Gabumon, "But where to look?"  
"Perhaps I can be of assistance?" said a merry voice. They turned about, and saw Tentomon,  
"What are you doin' here?" asked Armadillomon, "The gate's closed"  
"Not anymore" said Tentomon, "Izzy was finding a way through, when it opened suddenly. He said he opened it with his computer genius, but we was getting a hot pocket when it opened. The others are coming, and sorry, Veemon, Davis can't make it"  
"What'sh wrong?" he asked,  
"Family business" sighed Tentomon. Davis was about to go with them when his parents told him they were visiting their grandmother, and they would tie him up in the car if they had to, because he was too busy in the digital world to do any visiting before, "And we won't see him for a long while because the digital world's time is different to the real world. But, he did want you to have this"  
Tentomon gave Veemon a sort of leather book. Veemon opened it, it was blank with plain lines, and there was also straps on it, that Veemon used to keep it on his back. The leather felt quite comfortable,  
"It's a journal" explained Tentomon, "You write what happened each day in it. Davis is not such a bean-brain after all"  
"Why do I need it?" asked Veemon,  
"Most captains have journals" shrugged Palmon, who just appeared out of a nearby gate. Mimi was following, and every other digidestined followed,  
"Hey guys!" called Matt, "Gabumon!" he nookied Gabumon's hair,  
The other humans and digimon ran to them.  
"Where's Gatomon?" asked Kari,  
Veemon tried to explain to her about Bardmon's gang, but he dropped his attempt when Kari asked, "What do shells have to do with Gatomon?" Dillomon took over explaining, and Kari looked frightened.  
"We've got to find them" she said urgently,  
There was a big scuffle as all the able digimon digivolved.  
"You'll get around a lot faster with us" called TK, and helped Kari up on Pegasusmon,  
"Easy, I'm not a bus" objected Pegasusmon,  
"It's just for now" said TK,  
Sora was helped on Aquilamon with Yolei and Matt rode on Greymon with Tai. Gabumon and Dillomon rode on Kabuterimon,  
"Fine and I'll walk shall I?" yelled Veemon,  
"That'll do nicely" called Pegasusmon,  
"We'd better take him, he's the best digimage we have" said Gabumon,  
"Oh, you're a digimage now?" teased Aquilamon, "Could have fooled me"  
"Come on, fellas, leave him alone" said Armadillomon, "He did save our behinds a few times now"  
"Or should you say shave?" asked Stingmon, the other champions sniggered.  
"I'll give you a shave to remember, Shtingmon!" retorted Veemon, folding his arms,  
"Well, I hope you're enjoying this reunion" said a cold female voice. They looked up, and saw Shamonesmon.  
"You... (Veemon called Shamonesmon something so nasty that the others all stared. His lisp reduced the impact though)... Where ish Gatomon?"  
"Language like that won't get them back" sneered Shamonesmon, "Now, co-operate, or they die"  
"Digimon don't die" stated Izzy, "They only get reconfigured"  
"That's what you think" said Shamonesmon, "You see, my dear brother Kilhamon used a curse on seven of you, did he not? That curse stops you from digivolving, and from being reconfigured. Once you die, that's it, all over, your data will be lost forever"

The humans and digimon looked alarmed at Veemon, Dillomon and Gabumon. They were very vulnerable, and they all regretted teasing Veemon.  
"To business" continued Shamonesmon, "You probably won't agree, so it looks like they will die after all, but here it goes. We'll release your four friends, if..." she grinned evilly, "If you give us your digivices"  
"What?" asked all the humans,  
"Why do you want our digivices?" asked Tai angrily,  
"Mind your business" snapped Shamonesmon, she turned back to them, "Well?"  
"If it gets Gatomon back, I'll do it" sighed Kari, "I promise I'll give you my D-3, if you give Gatomon back first"  
"But Kari, If you give it to her, you won't be able to use the gate to the real world" called Cody,  
"I don't care, I don't want anything to happen to Gatomon, even if I get trapped here" said Kari  
"Very well" sighed Shamonesmon, "Do you others agree?"  
Joe and Sora nodded. Veemon looked anxious.  
"What about Elecmon?" he asked Kari, "What do we do about him?"  
"One last thing" called Kari, "What we have to do to get Elecmon?"  
"What do you care about him?" asked Shamonesmon, "He's not a partner to anyone"  
"He'sh a great friend and he'sh a member of our team" said Veemon firmly,  
"Fine, then where's your friend's D-3?" asked Shamonesmon,  
"He'sh not here" said Veemon,  
"Then I guess he stays" sighed Shamonesmon.  
"Vee La..." Veemon started to attack, but Kari stopped him,  
"Don't she's going to get the others" said Kari,  
Veemon stopped struggling and glared at Shamonesmon. She flew off into the horizon. Veemon was very depressed,  
"You tried your best" said Kari, "That was very great, sticking up for him like that. Don't worry, we'll find a way"

After an hour, Shamonesmon returned with the three stolen digimon, and she took their partner's now useless digivices.  
"Shumthing'sh wrong" said Veemon immediately, he noticed Gatomon was different, and so did Gomamon and Biyomon. They were all unconscious, but also they looked skinnier and had shadows beneath their closed eye lids. Gatomon's and Gomamon's fur was all ruffled, and Biyomon's feathers were very uneven.  
"What have you done to them?" yelled Kari, Joe, Sora and Veemon at the same time. Shamonesmon didn't answer, she just laughed demonically and disappeared. As she did, the three stolen digimages stirred.  
"Are you okay?" asked Kari to Gatomon. She opened her eyes, but they weren't the eyes that Kari remembered, they were narrow and evil looking.  
"Gomamon?" asked Joe, Gomamon's gaze was different too. His once jayde and confident eyes were now with vertical slits. Biyomon had a similar case.  
"Get lost" snarled Gatomon to Kari. Kari was shocked,  
"What's wrong?"  
"Mind your business" barked Gatomon,  
"It is my business" insisted Kari,  
"I said get lost!" Gatomon scratched Kari's face.  
"Now that's enough!" said TK, "Gatomon, what's with you?"  
"Shut up" ordered Gatomon,  
"What do you want?" asked Kari, nursing her face,  
"I want you to step aside and let them get on with it" answered Gatomon,  
"Who?" asked Kari,  
"The Necromancers" said Gomamon,  
"Not you too?" asked Joe,  
"Yes, me too!" snarled Gomamon,  
"You're not yourselves! Wake up!" wailed Sora,  
"Maybe not, but there's nothing you can do to stop us" said Biyomon, nastily,  
"Should we knock them out?" asked Greymon, quietly to Tai,  
"No" answered Tai, "Let them work it out first, and if they can't we'll have to"  
"Thish ish shtupid" said Veemon, frustrated, "Pull yourshelves together"  
"Shelves need to be apart, you bint!" said Gatomon, nastily. Veemon was shocked, Gatomon hadn't teased his lisp before,  
"Will you step aside, or do we have to force you?" asked Gomamon to the silent group, "Well?"  
Nobody answered, then Gomamon said "Fine! Kraken Shot!" and summoned a tornado of water that spun Greymon around before shooting him, soaked away. He de-digivolved. A mighty battle broke out, and Gatomon, Biyomon and Gomamon had defeated all their champion opponents. Gabumon regretted it, but he froze Biyomon solid. Armadillomon pinned Gomamon down on the ground, leaving Veemon and Gatomon facing each other.  
"Gatomon, pleashe"  
"Shut up!" yelled Gatomon, "Light Column!"

That spell did indeed hurt. Veemon was almost blinded and burned by the light. He just couldn't attack Gatomon, even if she was being brainwashed. He just stood, hoping Gatomon would come through.  
"Lightning Claw!" Gatomon slashed Veemon across the face. He still didn't attack.  
"Why don't you fight back?" asked Gatomon, fiercely, "Are you afraid? Or are you just weak?"  
"I couldn't let anything happen to you, Gatomon" said Veemon. All the humans watched, open-mouthed. The slash on Veemon's face began to bleed, which had never happened to a digimon before. And also, Veemon was just standing there, enduring champion level attacks. The humans and able digimon never thought they would feel so bad watching Veemon take a beating from Gatomon.  
"Attack! It's the only way!" called Armadillomon.  
Kari didn't say anything, she just knelt there, holding her shirt to her face. Gatomon attacked again, but Veemon caught her arm, and threw her back, breathing heavily, blood from Gatomon's slash seeping down his face.  
"So you're not weak" said Gatomon, "You'll have to fight if you want me back"  
Gatomon raised her paws, and used the Holy spell again,  
"No? Well, goodbye"  
"Ziedrich Force!"  
Veemon had set up a barrier with triangular patterns in front of him. Gatomon's attack was diminished, and the barrier still stayed strong.  
"Lightning Claw!"  
Gatomon's next attack also failed. She just stood still, staring at the barrier. The scene seemed as frozen as Biyomon, everyone watching with suspended breath. Veemon's barrier faded, and Gatomon attacked immediately, but Veemon avoided it.  
"Stop holding back!" shouted Gatomon. She attacked again, but Veemon blocked it. Gatomon's paws shone with pink light, and seemed to be absorbing energy. This would be an attack to remember.  
"Athena Strike!" Veemon tried to block it, but she bashed his arm, the attack was so strong. Gatomon turned for a second attack, aiming for his head this time. If he didn't want his brain blown apart, Veemon had to act now.

Will Veemon survive the deadly Athena Strike? What other tricks do the Necromancers have up their sleeves? Will the digimages be alright again after the battle? Find out in Chapter 5! R&R


	5. The Great Rescue

**CHAPTER 5 - The Great Rescue**

He shut his eyes, sighed, raised his hand. He pretended that the person he was facing was not Gatomon, but Shamonesmon, and attacked with his laser. Gatomon was stopped, but she dropped to the ground. Veemon dropped too, but in dismay.

"She's still alive!" Yolei called, feeling Gatomon's pulse. Everyone gathered around Gatomon and Veemon. Biyomon had defrosted and got better, and Gomamon was alright again. They said Bardmon had hypnotised them just before they left.

"I'm terribly sorry I teased you" said Hawkmon sincerely. Veemon had an urge to have a go at the lot of them, but he couldn't be bothered. He was too busy trying to stop the red stuff pouring out of his face. What was it anyway? When he was injured before, this red liquid never appeared. The others' voices were thumping in his head

"If you've got a dirty conshienshe, peel me shum grapesh or shumthing 'caushe I don't want to hear it" growled Veemon, "Elecmon'sh shtill captured, and we need to get him back, otherwishe we won't be ash shtrong againsht Shamoneshmon"

He stood up, and made to leave.

"Are you coming?" he called,

"Veemon, I thought you cared about Gatomon" said Kari in a slightly hurt voice,

"Elecmon'sh the only one who can help her" said Veemon, noticing Gomamon roll his eyes slightly, "And if you think I'm doing thish in favouritishm, I'd act exshactly the shame way for anyone elshe". He stood in front of the exit, waiting for any others,

"We've been fighting side by side since we were first released" said Hawkmon, "Of course I'll go"

"Me too" agreed Armadillomon, "Think again if you reckon I'll back out"

"Yeah, lets kick some hide!" said Biyomon aggressively,

"With you all the way" nodded Gabumon,

"Me too" called Gomamon,

"And me"

"Put it this way, anyone not going, raise your hand" said Biyomon, nobody rose theirs.

"Let'sh go"

The cavalcade of digimon and humans exited Megrhea, and followed Elecmon's weak electric signal. The sun rose, and the day turned out to be very gloomy, but nobody was put off. Gatomon hadn't got better, she still was unconscious. As Veemon had said, Elecmon was their only other healer, and only a healer could fix Gatomon's condition.

"That guy's changed a lot hasn't he?" whispered Aquilamon to Yolei, Gomamon and Biyomon, flying next to them.

"Who has?" asked Yolei,

"Veemon"

The blue dragon was riding ahead of them on Pegasusmon. He was extremely determined to do this right, and to get Gatomon back, whatever the cost. Blood was still all over his face.

"Yeah, I know" agreed Gomamon, "He's been affected by responsibility"

"What do you mean?" asked Biyomon,

"Great power brings great responsibility" quoted Gomamon, "Veemon has the most power, so he needs to be responsible to use it"

"I didn't think Spiderman was your thing" said Aquilamon. Gomamon sweatdropped,

"Aw, I wanted the credit for that quote" he moaned,

"Last time we were fighting, that fella couldn't be responsible for his own air, but now, he's like... a leader. I thought pigs would fly before Veemon became a leader, ah, that's right, Patamon" sniggered Aquilamon. Thankfully, Pegasusmon was out of earshot range.

"You're injured" said Kari, looking at Veemon, a nasty gaping scar was on his cheek.

"It doeshn't hurt" he said honestly,

"You're bleeding. Hold this up" she gave Veemon an ice pack and a bandage, and he held it on his face,

"You were really brave back there" said Kari, "No wonder Gatomon likes you"

"Kari, what ish thish shtuff?" asked Veemon, indicating the blood,

"That's called blood, it's a special liquid inside you" said Kari, "It really shouldn't be able to get out, so if it happens again, just pinch the hole, and it should stop flowing"

"How come I never had blood before?" asked Veemon,

"I don't know" said Kari, honestly, "It is a big mystery, maybe the curse is doing it?"

"Whoa! Watch Out!" shouted TK. Ahead was Lorheasmon, standing on a hill, his sword out. Pegasusmon stopped, as did the other digimon.

"What do we do?" asked Cody,

"We fight by the look of it" shrugged Matt, "Alright! We get to see our digimon... I mean... digimages flat out! Gabumon, show Sir Rustalot who's who"

"Moon Beam!" Gabumon used a different kind of Ice attack. This one shot a light blue beam at Lorheasmon, and it made the evil knight begin to freeze, but...

"Flaming Aura!" Lorheasmon broke the ice by making his armour glow red. Flames began to shoot out of it.

"Biyomon! Attack!" shouted Sora,

"Get serious, Gomamon" encouraged Joe,

"Come on, Armadillomon!" cheered Cody,

"Typhoon Gale!"

"Water Spout!"

"Richter Crusher!"

Their attacks did hit Lorheasmon, but they didn't have much effect on his armour. Lorheasmon was still alight, and he attacked by charging the three offending digimages down, burning them by simply touching them.

"Oh no!" whispered Kari, realising the depth of the situation.

"Should I attack?" asked a lisping voice. Kari looked down, and saw Veemon looking at her,

"Why are you asking me?" she asked,

"Davish ishn't here" shrugged Veemon, "Who elshe do I ashk? I don't know, I've never bleeded before"

"Yeah, attack that jerk" agreed Kari, quietly. Veemon turned around,

"Vee Lasher!"

His beam was much stronger than the other attacks. Lorheasmon was badly hit, but he swooped over and tried to attack Veemon, who dodged. Kari realized how quiet everything was, all she heard was Veemon's noises when he jumped, and Lorheasmon's shouting from attacking. Everyone else watched silently,

"Hey, come on, guys, remember Davis isn't here" said Kari. Everyone looked at her, confused, so Kari took a deep breath and yelled,

"COME ON, VEEMON! YOU CAN DO IT! KNOCK RUSTY'S BLOCK OFF! DO IT FOR GATOMON!"

The others got the idea,

"YEAH! YOU MADE KILHAMON POP HIS CLOGS, THIS FELLA'S NO DIFFERENT"

"GATOMON AND ELECMON NEED YOU!"

'Yeah, I am doing this for Gatomon' thought Veemon. He stopped jumping around and stood level. Electrical sparks began to jump between his hands,

"Shtatic Bolt!"

Lorheasmon moaned from the attack, that was lighting his armour, and he teleported away.

"That's the way!" yelled Ken, punching the air,

"Let's go" called Sora. Once again, the cavalcade of digimon resumed their journey.

They were flying for hours, until they saw a grey cubic mansion ahead of them,

"Great, all we need is a thunderstorm and maybe some haunted music" commented Gomamon.

They all landed at the entrance and changed back into their rookie forms.

"What do we do?" asked Hawkmon,

"I think we should take a back way around" said Tai, "We've had too much bad experiences going in the front door"

They all walked around the mansion, but found no back door.

"Maybe there'sh a sheecret?" suggested Veemon, and walked along the wall, pressing bricks. One of the bricks pushed in, and a passageway came into view, lit by torches.

"That's original" said Armadillomon, sarcastically, as they walked down the passage "I suppose they're using Elecmon for some sort of evil experiment"

"I wouldn't put it past them" shrugged Agumon, "Whoops!"

Agumon stepped on a stone that pressed down. Instantly, all the torches were extinguished, showering the passage with darkness.

"He couldn't know" said Veemon quickly, when everyone opened their mouth to tell Agumon off, "Um, hang on, don't move... How'sh thish?"

Veemon illuminated the passage with light emitted from his V symbol.

"You've got more tricks than a spellbook" commented Joe, "Let's head on"

It was a good thing that Veemon had illuminated the passage because there were many traps set up, quite different from your standard dungeons movie. For example, stones in the passage were actually spikes with grey material sewed on to disguise them as stones, and there were passages that had a fork, with the obvious passage always having a pitfall that would easily fool anyone in the dark. Veemon had a close call when some false stones gave way into the ground, They were plastic stones that floated in some disgusting fluid. Veemon was rescued by Matt just before he met a wet and equally smelly fate, and also leave the others in the dark.

"Thanksh" he gasped, his whole body now yellow, and stank. Gomamon used a water spell to clean him up, and they wondered how they would cross the sick snare. There was no telling how large the pit was, because the false stones were indistinguishable from the real ones, and it was too risky to jump. Gomamon dipped his flipper in the muck,

"Too thick" he sighed, "Nothing can swim in that"

"And this place is too small to digivolve in" stated Wormon, "Maybe we took a wrong turn?"

They turned back to the last fork, and went down the other passage. It had a small lake of water in the middle, and Gomamon said this stuff could be swum in.

"Do we have to?" asked Wormon, "I can't swim"

"By the look of it, we have to" sighed Ken. The way was entirely blocked off by the lake, and it was still too small for a flying digimon to carry them across. The humans seemed to be very reluctant to swim across.

"Come on, a bit of water won't hurt" said Gomamon, and backstroked across the lake, "It's warm, don't be shy"

Slowly, people and digimon started to enter the water. Veemon stared at it, and Gabumon noticed.

"Can't you three swim either?" asked Wormon. Armadillomon was also looking apprehensive.

"I can" said Gabumon, quietly "We need some help here"

"Can you stop time?" asked Wormon, "You can speed it up and slow it down can't you?"

"Can I?" asked Gabumon. He held his hand up high,

"Stone Time!" all the humans and digimon in the water froze, in fact the entire scene froze.

"I can't shwim" confessed Veemon, "I shink like a shtone"

"What? I thought you could" said Armadillomon, turning around, "You swum okay when Gatomon pushed you in the lake last month..."

Wormon and Gabumon sniggered, Veemon sweatdropped,

"I think it'sh the curshe" he sighed, "It'sh been doing a lot of thingsh lately but... anyway... how do we get acrossh?"

Wormon had an idea.

"Do you remember when we were Imperialdramon?" he asked,

"Yeah but we can't do that anymore, what'sh your point?"

"Mode Change" said Wormon simply, "We don't need a digivice for that. You try it first"

Veemon blinked,

"How am I shupposhed to mode change?" he asked irritably,

"Remember"

Veemon sighed, and shut his eyes. It was hard remembering being a DNA digivolved form, since half his mind was being shared, but he did remember some of it. He remembered a very familiar feeling, and the Mode Change came to him.

"Got it" he said excitedly. He glowed a white light, and seemed to kneel down. When the light faded, Veemon was on all fours, his arms had changed into front legs and his tail was longer. However, he still had the same blue and white colouring, and his face and ears were the same.

"Animal mode, good" said Gabumon, "I should try that one day, you'll have to teach me that. Wormon, you try it"

Wormon transformed this time. When the light faded, he had four scaly wings on his back, and he flew. Everything else about him was the same.

"This is severely weird" said Armadillomon,

"You try it now" suggested Veemon,

"How?"

Veemon and Wormon told Dillomon how to do it, and he did attempt it. It was a failure.

"Come on, our pride ish at shtake here" said Veemon, "Try it again"

Dillomon did transform this time. He stood on two legs, he wore brown, shiny armour, and his front legs had changed into arms.

"Wow" said Gabumon in awe, "That is amazing"

"Let'sh try it out" suggested Veemon, and he jumped into the lake. He dog-paddled, he was doing it. He fought the urge to kiss the unconscious and frozen Gatomon when he passed (Gatomon was being carried across by Kari, TK and Tai). He had made it and didn't drown once. Wormon successfully flew over, and Armadillomon swam easily across it. They transformed into their ordinary selves, and called Gabumon over.

"Veemon, what's that red stuff on your face?" asked Wormon. Veemon's wound had begun to bleed again from the water,

"Kari shaysh it'sh blood" answered Veemon, "It'sh shpeshial shtuff that'sh inshide you... I think it'sh a part of the curshe"

"Oh" blinked Wormon, and looked at the frozen scene, "What happens now?... Gabumon, I hope you can get it going again"

"I should be able to" shrugged Gabumon, "Hourglass Flip!"

The frozen room turned back into colour, and everyone was moving again.

"Um, did the room switch around or something?" asked Tai, when they saw the digimon at the other side,

"We've been wait'n centuries for ya" said Armadillomon impatiently, "Hurry up, they're probably plucking Elecmon's tail now"

Confused and wet, the humans and other digimon got out of the lake.

"Grrr! If these clothes shrink, I'll have your head Gomamon!" growled Yolei,

"What did I do now?" asked Gomamon. Veemon distinctly remembered Gomamon frozen in the water, splashing everyone else.

"Whoa!" Gabumon activated a trap this time. The floor vanished, and everyone was thrown into separated rooms. Luckily, everyone's partner was right there beside them, because each room had a bad digimon, except Kari, who only had the limp Gatomon for company. The large snorting beast called Krylamon approached, its breath heating the room amazingly. Kari was extremely worried, she shut her eyes and awaited doom,

"Shtatic Bolt!"

A voice who was neither Kari, Gatomon or Krylamon broke out. Kari opened her eyes, Veemon was there, sparks leaping from him to Krylamon,

"What are you doing here?" asked Kari,

"I shupposhe I'll have to be your partner jusht for now" shrugged Veemon, "Davish ishn't here, and Gatomon can't fight"

"Thanks" smiled Kari, "Now show this snorter who's boss"

"With pleashure" grinned Veemon, "Flame Wall!"

A much stronger spell than Flamestrike occurred, and the effect was quite good,

"Have you learned new techniques?" asked Kari, amazed,

"Yeah, we all have" panted Veemon. Krylamon was severely burned. He retaliated,

"Gravity Crusher!"

Krylamon knew digimagic too. This spell made a large black sphere around Veemon, and seemed to stretch and crush him. He was dazed when it stopped,

"Kryla Smash!"

"Watch out!"

Krylamon aimed at Veemon with its large horns, but Kari pushed him out of the way just in time,

"You have to finish him off now" called Kari,

"Right" nodded Veemon. The digimagic spells he knew weren't enough, not for him. He was a dragon digimage, he could do better. Electrical sparks began to flash on his body, and he felt even more powerful, even more than Static Bolt made him feel.

"Rail Shaft!"

A massive yellow lightning bolt smashed onto Krylamon, so much that the ground glowed from the energy, but this wasn't all. Countless bolts of energy blasted from Veemon, and the ground below Krylamon vapourised from the energy. Krylamon did too after a while.

"Yeah! You did it!" cheered Kari, and she picked up Gatomon, "How do we get out of here?"

"Um, I'll check" said Veemon, pressing random stones in their small room, he finally came across a lever, and a second opening appeared, it was a spiral staircase, and it went upwards. Veemon and Kari ran up it, and came into a stone dungeon. It was small, but there was some straw on the bed, and laying on it was...

"Elecmon!". The red digimon was singing to himself quietly. He looked up,

"Veemon, how did you get in here?" he asked, surprised, "And you're Gatomon's partner aren't you... oh, she's a mess" he noticed the limp Gatomon, the Vee Laser burns still evident.

"Can you help her?" asked Kari,

"My energy's too low, I can't use digimagic" sighed Elecmon, "Otherwise I would've blasted out of here ages ago"

"Drink this" Kari gave Elecmon a healing drink that she always carried around in an emergency, just in case Gatomon ever ran low. Elecmon drank it,

"Wow, thanks" he smiled, "Now, for this one. Put her on the bed"

Kari did so. Elecmon held his paw over the limp cat,

"Asura"

White haloes of light scanned Gatomon, and she stirred. Her sapphire eyes shot open,

"Kari! Veemon! Elecmon! Where are we?" she asked, yawning,

"We're getting out" said Veemon, looking at the door and raising his hand, "Vee Comet!" the heavy wooden door was blasted to splinters by the force, and the four walked out of the dungeon, meeting everyone else. Veemon and Elecmon sniggered at Yolei's top, it had shrunk, and Gomamon had a big bruise on his face. Gatomon smiled at Veemon,

"You did it" she sighed,

"Elecmon did that" said Veemon,

"Yeah, but you gathered the army" said Elecmon, "You Trouper, Veemon, you absolute Trouper!"

Veemon blushed and smiled.

"Maybe not having Davis around is a good thing" thought Cody aloud, "We've never been this efficient"

"Where are we anyway?" asked Gatomon, getting up, "How did the humans get here? The gate?"

"Kilhamon's gone, he can't block the gate any longer" said Kari, "It's great to have you back"

"Oh I see" sighed Elecmon, "Let's all make old Elecmon feel he's popular, but really just use him to get someone else back"

"Hey, we need you too" said Veemon, slapping Elecmon's back, "You're on the team, we don't leave team membersh behind"

"Speaking of which, we should go whip some behind!" shouted Biyomon, "Let's go!"

"Wow, feisty too" whispered Elecmon,

Will the digidestined be successful in their attack? Is there a limit to the digimages' power? Will Elecmon finally get to date Biyomon? Find out in Chapter 6 of Attack of the Necromancers! R&R


	6. Overdrive!

**CHAPTER 6 - Overdrive!**

They ran up the stairs to the main mansion. They found the four evil digimon standing on the second floor landing. Every able digimon digivolved, fully this time from some unknown force. Agumon warped to Wargreymon, Tentomon changed into Megakabuterimon, Palmon transformed to Lillymon and Patamon digivolved to Seraphimon. Since the other's DNA digivolving pairs had broken, they stood as champions. It was a massive battle. The mansion collapsed around them, but the Necromancers were too powerful, even against the might of the mega level digimon. But, the oddest thing of all was that the digimages's attacks seemed much more effective than the mega attacks.

"Hyper Blaster!" Gabumon pelted Lorheasmon with rapid fire energy.

"Ugh, damn it!" cursed Lorheasmon. He vanished

"Static Wind!" Elecmon blew a wind with blue electrical energy at Shamonesmon,

"You haven't won this" she hissed, before teleporting.

"Aurora Gate!" Gomamon had finally mastered his Aurora skill, and created rainbow pillars of light that formed a weird gate behind and in front of Zyndromon. The gate shut, and Zyndromon was shut in a sector of turbulence. She teleported before it destroyed her.

"Spin the wheel and see where it lands" chuckled Bardmon, "With a special game of Demise roulette!"

He threw his baton in the air, and it spun around very quickly, and then began to slow down. It was pointing to individual digimon now. Stingmon, Elecmon, Gomamon, Aquilamon, and finally...

"What luck, double zero" clapped Bardmon, "Goodbye, Veemon!"

The baton that was pointing to Veemon glowed black, and shot a beam at him. Veemon braced, but the beam never hit. Wargreymon had jumped in front of him and took the hit. He de-digivolved back to Agumon, and was breathing very faintly,

"You idiot, why did you do that?" asked Veemon, "That wash a death shpell"

"It's alright" panted Agumon, "I'll regenerate. If it hit you, you would be gone forever" Agumon disintegrated, and an egg lay where he once stood.

"That'sh it!" yelled Veemon,

"What attack will he do this time?" asked Sora

"My money's on a sword attack" commented Matt,

Beams of light flashed down from the ceiling. They twisted around like snakes before being absorbed by Veemon. Pods of light appeared on his body, he made so much energy, streamers of blue light sprayed from his fingers. He jumped into the air, and a checkered sphere radiated out.

"EPSILON STORM!"

Veemon shot an uncountable amount of beams toward Bardmon. They twisted around like snakes, and Bardmon couldn't avoid them. They whirled around him, faster and faster, forming weird rainbow illusions, until everyone in the room was blinded by a massive vortex of holy light. When it faded, Bardmon was battered.

"You'll run out of shields soon" he whispered in a deadly tone, before disappearing, dropping Kari's, Joe's and Sora's digivices. They collected their precious equipment.

"Wow, now we know not to screw with Veemon" commented Tentomon,

"That was a lot stronger than the other digimagic that you guys learned" pointed out Ken, "What did happen?"

"I don't know, I jusht felt, really... ticked off at Bardmon, and that attack happened" shrugged Veemon,

"Ah, like an overdrive" nodded Izzy, "So, if your adrenaline is really high, that attack happens"

"It happened before" said Gomamon, "That's how Kilhamon was defeated. Xeemon used an overdrive, but I don't know what it was, kinda like a big Xee Laser"

"You doing that deliberately?" asked Veemon, testily,

"No, I just can't say it" said Gomamon, nervously,

"Shay it. Vee..."

"Nee"

"Vee..."

"Quee"

"VEE...!"

"Hey, shut up, Agumon's hatching" snapped Tai, and ran toward Agumon's egg. It hatched after a few seconds, showing Botimon, a char-black digimon with two yellow eyes.

"I'm shorry" said Veemon,

"It's not your fault" assured Tai, "It would've been a lot more ugly if he didn't, besides, he's still alive"

Botimon jumped up and attached himself to Veemon's nose.

"Get off!" Veemon growled, trying to pull Botimon off. He fell over in the effort.

"Aw, for the love of Aphanemon, he's so embarrassing" whispered Gatomon, putting her paw over her face, but smiling. Everyone laughed, everything had turned out alright after all... until,

"I've got some bad news, guys" said a voice. Gennai had entered the mansion.

"What's the matter?" asked Sora, trying to ignore Veemon's attempts to disconnect Botimon from the small horn on his nose,

"Bardmon's attempting to seal the gate again" said Gennai, "We can slow him down, but you need to make a choice here. You can go back to the real world now, or stay here for a long while. I think it would be best if only the digimages stay because the others are just too vulnerable. The tree of life is their next target, and if that goes, there will be no more regenerating.

Botimon let go of Veemon's nose and bounced over to Tai, making a scared noise.

"Yeah, I know" said Tai. He turned to the digimages, "Good luck, you guys"

He left the mansion and went through the gate. Everyone else bade the others goodbye, and also went through the gate.

"Now, you seven" said Gennai, "I'm glad you found a new job so quickly, Elecmon"

Elecmon puffed a tuff of fur out of his eyes impatiently,

"To business, you have mastered Digimagic very well, and I am thankful to all of you. I am really impressed by the overdrive technique too. The Necromancers are severely weakened by your assault, which you initiated all by yourselves. It's times like this I wonder why I wasted all that time on making digivolving your main skill when it would have been much easier with digimagic, but enough of that now"

Gennai seemed to be going in circles, like his old self. He went on to say that they all have one extremely powerful spell each that they will learn when they have truly mastered Digimagic.

"Each one will be around ten times as powerful as that attack you just witnessed" said Gennai, "And, there is one that you can all combine to use too"

"What is it?" asked Gabumon,

"I don't know" said Gennai, "Nobody does, but it can only be performed when all of you learn your Ultimate spell. I will research that for a while and will send help when I do find out. And also, I want Veemon and Armadillomon to teach you all Mode-Change"

"What?" asked Gomamon, "Mode cha... oh!" Imperialdramon's memory crossed his mind.

"It doesn't make you more powerful, but it simply changes your fighting skills to best suit the situation, plus it gives you a different set of digimagic too" said Gennai, "I don't think the Necromancers will attack again for a while now, that gives you plenty of time to learn it. Good luck all of you" He left the mansion.

"Something ten times as powerful as Epsilon Storm?" thought Armadillomon, "That'll be great to do any day"

"Ten timesh ash powerful, meansh ten timesh ash tiring" said Veemon, rubbing his nose, "Believe me, that wash the hardesht thing I did shinshe Magnamon.

Magnamon was Veemon's golden armour form. Magnamon's power was similar to that of Wargreymon, and had devastating attacks. He had ended the reign of the digimon emperor as Magnamon, but will never do so again. He'll kick ass as the form he is in now.

Gomamon grinned,

"Geez, we rule"

"Veemon, how do we do this mode change?" asked Biyomon,

Veemon and Armadillomon went through this lecture about mode changing, Dillomon was repeating Veemon's sentences that involved the letter S.

"Sho, it'sh a mickshture of digivolving and digimagic" said Veemon, "All you do ish focush on digivolving and shomething elshe at the shame time, like walking or shwimming"

Armadillomon repeated Veemon's sentence, and Gomamon nodded,

"Can mode-change be permanent?" he asked,

"It can be" nodded Veemon, "You'll have to mode-change again to your original form, but if you don't want to, that'sh alright"

"You also need inspiration to mode-change so you have the experience in mind" added Armadillomon,

"Give me a try" said Gomamon, and crawled to the middle of the room. He focused on being Zudomon, his only walking form, and also on digivolving. Light glowed from him, and Gomamon seemed to be morphing. When the light faded, everyone looked at him in awe. Gomamon's flippers were now to his side, attached to shoulders on either side of his neck. He also stood up on two broad, strong legs with similar markings to that of his flippers. His face, hair, colour and tail was still the same, but his frame looked like a mixture of Palmon and Veemon.

"Wow, this is amazing" said Gomamon, looking at his new body, "I'm definitely staying this way"

He ran around the room, thoroughly enjoying his two-footed new figure, but over-estimated it at one point and fell over.

"Who'sh nexsht?" asked Veemon, trying to ignore Gomamon struggling,

"I will" said Gatomon. She focused, and then glowed. When the light faded, the digimages were alarmed, then burst out laughing. Gatomon had a wig or curly purple hair, a large red nose, 

alarming make-up, funny clothes, her feet were now much bigger, and she had a unicycle over her shoulder.

"SHUT UP!" she screamed, everyone was almost crying with mirth. Gatomon sighed, and tried again. White light glowed once more from her body, and when it faded, everyone was much more impressed. Gatomon had transformed into a half human. She now wore a rose coloured robe and a yellow suit under that. She also wore a pointed hat with a white wing on each side, a lot like Shamonesmon's, but it was rose coloured, and was bigger, and had holes cut in the rim for her ears.

"What... the?" asked Elecmon,

"What did you expect? A butterfly or something?" asked Gatomon, "I'm sick of people mistaking me for a cute kitty, so I want to look like a real champion girl. Also, I can be better at spells in this mode"

"What do you two change to?" asked Biyomon , "Can you show us? I need to see how it's done"

Veemon mode-changed into the animal and Armadillomon changed into the brown knight.

"Okay, that's great" nodded Gabumon, "One question though, is it possible to morph into any other forms?"

"Yesh, but it'sh not a good idea" said Veemon, "Too many different formsh will get you all out of whack, sho only one will do today. To change back, jusht remember how you were before"

Veemon shut his eyes and changed back into his old self.

"I'll stay like this" insisted Armadillomon,

Biyomon tried this time, and her wings changed into hands, her beak turned into a nose and mouth, and she wore a long purple robe. She wore a head ornament with a diamond in the centre.

"When you change, you alter your shkills around a bit" added Veemon, "Biyomon'sh in Shorcheresh mode, sho her digimagic shkill is better, but now she can't fly. When I changed into an animal, I could run a lot fashter, and shwim, but I alsho couldn't ushe my handsh and..." he broke off quickly, knowing he had blundered,

"What's wrong? Can't you swim?" asked Gomamon,

"The point ish, when you mode-change, you gain and shakrifishe skills" finished Veemon. Of all of them, Gabumon and Elecmon couldn't mode change.

"I'm sorry, it's just I can't use my imagination" confessed Elecmon,

"That'sh alright, jusht wait for an inshpiration or shumthing" said Veemon, "I almosht forgot. We need to know our formsh, sho we can plan better in battle. Okay, shpeak up

Gomamon was between aquatic and land modes, Veemon was between being and animal modes, Gatomon was between fighting (She refused when Gomamon suggested cute, she also punched him one too) and wizardess modes, Armadillomon was between steed and knight modes, and Biyomon was between bird and sorceress modes. They all told their different skills, and by the time they finished, night was falling.

"We'd better go now" said Veemon,

"Why? This place has better accommodation" objected Armadillomon,

"I'm not shleeping anywhere where Bardmon hash been" insisted Veemon.

They left the ruins of the mansion, and night fell quite quickly, as well as the mansion when Gabumon closed the door a bit roughly.

It was very unusual now that the digimages had learned Mode Change. Gomamon was now as tall as Veemon, but was still his pesky self. Armadillomon walked too slowly in his new form, and held the others back a lot. Gatomon wasn't used to being less agile in her new mode, so she decided to change back to her normal self, and Biyomon did so too so she could fly better.

"Why didn't you tell us you couldn't swim, Ceemon?" asked Gomamon. Veemon sighed, so his secret was out,

"That's alright, we all have weaknesses" said Gomamon, "I can't get any girl to like me. Watch this" he turned to Biyomon,

"Wanna go out on a date?" he asked. Biyomon blinked for a minute, then slapped Gomamon's face. Gomamon turned back to Veemon, with a red mark on his cheek,

"See?"

Veemon was shocked. He had expected Gomamon to laugh when he knew he couldn't swim, but he had embarrassed himself just to make him feel better.

"I also hate lightning, I was zapped as a Bukamon" Bukamon was Gomamon's in-training form, "Hey, that's not fair, I've got two weaknesses!" he moaned. Veemon felt better,

"If I pay attention to the series" commented Armadillomon, "Right now, we should be attacked by something or rather"

"What?" asked Gatomon,

"Yep, there" said Armadillomon, pointing. Lorheasmon was opposing them on a hillock, holding his sword threateningly.

"Gawd, give ush a break" sighed Veemon impatiently,

"Shut it, you" snapped Lorheasmon, "The last thing your tongue will ever taste is the steel in my blade"

He made to attack, but everyone was in their most agile modes, and dodged them easily.

"Vee Comet!" Lorheasmon was beaten heavily by the magic rock, but his armour protected him. Lorheasmon didn't levitate like the others anymore, meaning he was vulnerable to Armadillomon,

"Quake Zone!" Armadillomon stomped on the ground, and massive cracks appeared, then shook violently, jumping everyone up and down.

"Aah! Stop - It!" yelled Gatomon, struggling to keep her balance. The quake stopped, and everyone was too dizzy to attack. Lorheasmon had teleported,

"Damn, I hate it when they do that" growled Gomamon, punching a rock, "Pathetic Cowards"

"We'll get them next time" assured Elecmon,

"Um, where'sh everyone elshe?" asked Veemon. Gomamon and Elecmon looked around, the others weren't there

"Shamonesmon, grr!" growled Gomamon, picking up a white feather from the ground, "She's separated us, that hag must've been waiting for Lorheasmon to divert us"

"CAN YOU HEAR ME?" yelled a voice, it was Gabumon,

"YESH, WE CAN" answered Veemon,

"ARE THE OTHERS THERE?" yelled Gabumon,

"YEAH, ELECMON AND GOMAMON ARE ALRIGHT" shouted Veemon, "WHAT ABOUT THE OTHERSH?"

"Do we really need to shout?" asked Gabumon. Veemon blinked, and found a small speaker on the ground where Gabumon's voice was coming from.

"Where are you anyway?" he asked,

"Um, we see a lot of mountains, but nobody else" answered Gabumon, "Gatomon, Biyomon and Dillomon are fine"

"We shee a... shwamp?" said Veemon, confused. He looked around, and it definitely was a swamp, with a solid path weaving through the misty, reedy bog on either side.

"See you around sometime" called Gabumon, and the three in the swamp heard nothing from then on.

What will happen now that the digimages are separated? Is this part of the Necromancers' plan? Will the mark on Gomamon's face go away? Find out in Chapter 7 of Attack of the Necromancers! Review PLZ!


	7. The Exciting Chapter

CHAPTER 7 - The exciting chapter

**CHAPTER 7 - The exciting chapter**

The marsh air stank more than a Raremon. Gomamon decided to sing a song to raise the atmosphere. He chose utterly ridiculous words to go with the jolly song.  
"Oh, how nice it is to be drawn and quartered.  
Your head smashed in  
And your heart cut out  
And your liver removed  
And your bowels unplugged  
And your nostrils yanked  
And your tail burned off  
And your kidneys skewered..."

"Shut up" snapped Veemon. Elecmon was sniggering slightly. Gomamon sang an even nastier song, quietly so Veemon couldn't hear.  
"Peemon's really in the pits  
The necromancers leave him in fits  
His lisp's embarrassing, his body sucks  
And that's why Gatomon hates his guts"  
Elecmon was wheezing with laughter. He and Gomamon weren't paying much attention to the path, and both fell in a hidden patch of muck five feet deep. Veemon decided to wait ten seconds before he pulled them out, as payback for their song about him.  
They continued down the marsh path, with Veemon still in his crabby mood. Gomamon walked right up behind him and mimed everything he did, he arranged his ears, mouth and eyes. Elecmon was laughing. Veemon turned around, and saw that Gomamon had resumed his normal position.  
"Come on, Neemon..."  
"Veemon"  
"Yeah, Veumon, being negative all day won't help anyone" said Gomamon,  
"You're right" said Veemon,  
"Did I get your name right?" asked Gomamon,  
"No, but shorry I wash sho mean" sighed Veemon, and continued walking.  
"Seriously, though, are you still going out with Gatomon?" asked Gomamon,  
"You get her name right" pointed out Veemon,  
"Are you?" asked Gomamon again,  
"I don't know" said Veemon honestly, "The lasht time she talked to me, she shaid... she did like me, but... that wash before all the shtuff with the Nekromanshersh shtarted"  
Elecmon thought it was the mist getting to him, because Veemon seemed to be shrinking. Elecmon followed, and stepped into the bog. He withdrew just in time, but Veemon was already metres out. He was too busy thinking about Gatomon to notice.  
"Reemon! Come back!" yelled Gomamon. Veemon turned around, and saw Gomamon and Elecmon making a big ruckus. He tried to walk back, but his feet were stuck. (A/N - His exclamation was a bit tough, so I'll leave that out). Veemon struggled, but he only went down faster. He tried to mode change, but that just bought his body down closer. He changed back,  
"Got a shtick or shomething?" called Veemon, now up to his torso. The bog was so thick, he could only move around slowly.  
"Just a boot" said a negative voice.  
"WATCH OUT!" yelled Veemon, looking behind Gomamon, but it was too late. Lorheasmon picked up Elecmon and Gomamon by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the bog too. Lorheasmon walked down the path, laughing evilly.  
"It'sh been fun" said Veemon, tragically, up to his shoulders, almost immobilised, still going down,  
"Don't talk like that" said Elecmon, up to his cheeks, "We'll find a way..."  
Veemon's eyes formed a doubting expression as they sunk below the surface. Elecmon did too. The bog was worse than the river in Veemon's opinion. All he saw was darkness, stuck in a slushy, hard-to-move world. He couldn't breathe. Gomamon was thinking fast. He was a water digimage, and bog was almost water. The bubbles that Veemon and Elecmon were emitting started to get more vigorous, so as a last resort, Gomamon decided to try out his waterspout spell. A twister was forming in the bog, it grew and grew, and finally, threw the three of them out and onto the path, extremely dirty.  
"Yuck! I'll never eat fish again" spluttered Veemon, "Thish ish grossh!"  
The three of them continued down the path, now paying careful attention to the ground.

The four digimages in the mountainous area hiked carefully over the many rocky hills. Armadillomon was having the worst trouble, with his bulky armour, he needed a lot of help from the others. Finally, the hills ended, and they walked through some yellow grasslands. Gatomon was extremely quiet throughout the journey. She merely nodded and shook her head when asked a question. It was though, she was missing something, and she really cared about it, like when she lost her precious tail ring. What had she lost? She didn't wear any other jewellery, so it must be a person. Kari, of course, was a great friend. Kari was always there for her, and Gatomon was always there for Kari. But this was different. Gatomon did miss Kari, but not as much as she felt now. She thought, and the familiar blue face of Veemon crossed her mind. With a jolt of her heart, Gatomon came to realise something,  
"What's the matter, Gatomon? You've been acting strange all day" asked Gabumon,  
"Oh, nothing" said Gatomon, nervously. She thought about everyone else in her life. Wizardmon, Patamon, Kari, Tai, the other digidestined, the other digimon. But every time Veemon crossed her mind, some sort of pulse went through her stomach.  
"Am I..." thought Gatomon, eyes wide, "In... love?"  
"Did you step on a thorn?" asked Armadillomon.  
Gatomon shook her head, "Why?" she asked, challengingly,  
"It's just I stepped on one" said Armadillomon, lifting up his foot, "They're everywhere"  
Gatomon grinned. Trust Armadillomon to bring you back to earth and remind you not to be so serious. Gatomon got her focus back, and they resumed their journey, with Gatomon now punching and kicking the air in practice.  
"That's better" said Gabumon, "That's the Gatomon I know"  
"What do you mean by that?" asked Gatomon, testily,  
"I mean that you don't seem normal when you're quiet" said Gabumon, "A lot of us are the same"  
"Oh" said Gatomon, and resumed walking. Gabumon wiped his sweaty forehead.  
The four of them crossed the knoll, stopping every so often so somebody could get a thorn out of their foot. Dillomon was right, they did hurt.  
"This is ridiculous" growled Armadillomon, his yellow foot now swelling red, "I'm gonna try something. Feather Foot!"  
Armadillomon floated two feet above the ground.  
"Wow" exclaimed Gatomon,  
"Will it work on us?" asked Gabumon,  
Armadillomon levitated Gabumon and Gatomon, and the four of them flew across the field.  
"Why do you think we could levitate?" asked Gabumon,  
"That's what Lorheasmon was using in Megrhea" said Biyomon, flying next to them, "It's a spell that makes you hover, and become resistant to Earth attacks"  
"This is great" sighed Gatomon, enjoying swimming through the air, "We should have used this earlier"  
"But it makes us vulnerable to wind" added Armadillomon, noticing Gabumon being blown off course by several feet, "See?"  
Gatomon began thinking again, the great flying feeling providing better enlightenment. Many faces appeared in her mind, the kind face of Kari's appearing first  
"Gatomon, you have to do what your heart tells you" said Kari, "The thing's there, so you can take it, or leave it". Kari was right. Patamon's squat face appeared, between two orange bat ears.  
"What you like and don't like is none of my business" he said in his high, squeaky voice, "You do what you want, I don't mind"  
That was Patamon alright. He was very generous, and caring. Veemon's blue face appeared, with his ruby-red eyes, and the all-too familiar V on his forehead.  
"I couldn't let anything happen to you, Gatomon, I'd regret it for the resht of my life" he said. How exactly did she feel about him? Gatomon did think Veemon was cute, and funny, he had real feelings about her, and really cared about her. Plus, Veemon would fight fiercely for her and anyone else he cared about, even if it was him alone against someone like Bardmon. Malomyotismon was peanuts compared to Bardmon, but then again, the old Digimon power chart is useless now. The seven of them are no longer just rookies and champion. Veemon had almost defeated Bardmon in one blow, and he finished off the Mega level Wargreymon with one hit. Gatomon would laugh for hours if someone said that Veemon had that power before Kilhamon came along.  
She imagined what Veemon would look like if she really dumped him, his ears would probably droop right down, and that cheerful, initiate expression on his face would disappear. He would probably lose a lot of his personality as well,  
"Um, Gatomon, we're stopping" called Armadillomon. Gatomon shook her head, and realised she had stopped hovering, and her feet were on the ground.  
"What's for dinner?" asked Armadillomon,  
"Ah, I planned ahead this time" said Gabumon, and pulled a loaf of bread from underneath his fur. It was wrapped in plastic, but still, Biyomon wouldn't eat it,  
"I haven't poisoned it" assured Gabumon, "And it's too cold to be sweating today. Come on, I wash it every day, do you think I'm that unhygienic?"  
Biyomon reluctantly ate one slice of bread.  
"Sorry, I couldn't bring anything else" apologised Gabumon,  
"That's okay" said Gatomon, "This is a feast compared to those darn berries"  
"Hey, I didn't know they were poisonous" piped up Armadillomon,  
"They had a bitter taste to them" argued Biyomon, "Surely you could've picked up something from that"  
The four of them continued to argue playfully, until they realised night had fell.  
"Hey, night's fallen" pointed out Armadillomon,  
"No, duh" said Gatomon, cynically, "There water around here somewhere?"  
"Yeah, down there" answered Gabumon, "I need to wash my fur"  
He went down the hill, Gatomon following,  
"What are you doing here?" he asked,  
"Just feel like talking" shrugged Gatomon. Gabumon removed his fur and washed it in the stream, he looked a lot like Agumon without it, except for his horn, ears and hands. He was normally shy with removing his fur, but he had changed a lot since Kilhamon's curse.  
"What do you want to talk about?" he asked,  
"You ever had a crush on anyone?" asked Gatomon,  
"Well, I'm thinking about Biyomon, but I'm not sure" said Gabumon, after much delay, "Why?"  
"Please don't tell anyone I'm telling you this" said Gatomon, wringing her paws, "I'm wondering if... would... err... do you think..."  
"You're wondering if you should like Veemon?" asked Gabumon,  
"How do you know?" asked Gatomon, challengingly,  
"It's pretty obvious" said Gabumon, wringing his fur out, "You haven't been pushing him away much anymore have you?"  
"Well, no" said Gatomon, "But what should I do?"  
"Do you want advice or my opinion?" asked Gabumon, putting his fur back on, "My advice would be do what your heart says, but my opinion is, go for it. He likes you, he always has, and you two would be a good match"  
"Thanks" said Gatomon, still remaining by the stream, Gabumon sat down too.  
"What else do you want to talk about?" he asked,  
"The curse" answered Gatomon, "To think that Kilhamon can change entire lives so easily... yet he was defeated so easily..."  
"It wasn't easy" pointed out Gabumon, "Veemon nearly died using that attack, Avenger, he was out for three days, and didn't look like he would make it for the first one"  
"But still" said Gatomon, looking at the stars, all of them reflecting off her sapphire blue eyes, making her look even more beautiful. Gabumon now knew why Veemon's been falling for her for the past three years, "Why did Kilhamon use the curse if he knew we'd only get more powerful?"  
"I think we just should be grateful that fate has chosen its path" said Gabumon, wisely, "We succeeded where Wargreymon has failed, that can only mean we're stronger"  
"You're right" sighed Gatomon, laying down, looking up, "That Epsilon Storm was one heck of an attack wasn't it?"  
"Yeah" smiled Gabumon, "I wonder if we can use overdrives?"  
"That would be cool" answered Gatomon, sighing, "I hope Veemon and the others are okay"  
"They should be" replied Gabumon, "With Veemon's power, Elecmon's planning and Gomamon's cheer they should be fine"  
"Thanks for talking, Gabba" smiled Gatomon, getting up and running back up the hill. Armadillomon and Biyomon were already asleep, and now that she had enough opinions in her pocket, Gatomon slept at last with a clear mind.

Veemon, Gomamon and Elecmon finally walked out of the marsh in the morning. None of them slept throughout the night, even though they did stop so they wouldn't fall into the bog again because of the darkness. They breathed in the fresh air very gratefully, and looked back at the marsh. It looked like a large cloud kingdom on the surface of the world. They continued their walk, now in a light woodland area, and Elecmon emitting a weird signal that made Veemon's and Gomamon's ears fling straight. Elecmon was making sparks jump between his ears, and this made the same signal that he had made when he was in Bardmon's dungeon. As they walked, a large cliff-face came into view, and in this cliff face was a large cavern opening.  
"Do we have to go in there?" asked Gomamon, shuddering,  
"There's no other way" shrugged Elecmon, "Come on, we need some excitement, and a cave is usually interesting"  
They walked into the cave, shuddering, so Elecmon decided to sing this time. He sounded much better than Gomamon, but Veemon was still irritated by the words, which were in Gomamon's first song,  
"Knock it off!" he growled,  
"Alright" smiled Elecmon, "How about this?"

"I think I'm having a terrible day  
Shamonesmon teleported us all away  
The humans decided to pack up and leave  
And we put up Bardmon's non-reprieve

Firstly we walked right through a marsh  
Smelled like Gatomon's breath, which was quite harsh  
Lorheasmon came and threw us all in,  
Gomes got us out smelling like an old bin

What next will happen on this nasty day  
That will be away from my desires  
I'll pluck a tail feather in dismay,  
With my luck it could be Biyomon's lyres  
Or maybe we'll fall into a bottomless night  
Hopefully right on an Antmon's nest  
Oh dear, everything's gone all white  
Alas, I've landed on Veemon's chest"

Both Gomamon and Veemon were sniggering at the funny song, and didn't notice what was going on ahead.  
"What's this?" asked Elecmon, walking to the wall. There were seven holes in it, arranged into a weird hexagon with one in the centre. Each hole was painted a different colour.  
"It'sh a dead end" exclaimed Veemon, "I guessh thish wall has shumthing to do with it"  
"Ah, good, a puzzle" smiled Elecmon, rubbing his paws, "What are these holes? They're all the same shape"  
"These things must be what we put in there" said Gomamon, indicating a pile of long stones, "They've got words on them that I can't read, and they've got grooves in them, like keys"  
Elecmon had a look, the keystones were all the same colour, but had words in a language only he could understand written on them.  
"What does this say?" he asked, "Something about shock... it's too heavy, Vemo, can you help?"  
The stones were indeed heavy, but Veemon could handle it. He picked up the stone Elecmon was reading, and rotated it.  
"Rumbling and Shock" muttered Elecmon, "What does this one say?"  
Veemon picked up a second stone,  
"Heat and destruction?" asked Elecmon to himself, "Couldn't that be fire?"  
"Maybe" shrugged Veemon, "What doesh thish one shay?"  
"Solid and Crystal" read Elecmon. The other four stones read "Light and Goodness", "Travelling and Invisible", "Flowing and Life" and, much to Gomamon's mirth, "Bottom and Natural"  
"Flowing and Life" repeated Veemon, "That'sh water ishn't it?"  
"Yeah, so these stones represent an element" thought Elecmon aloud, "And they go in the same slot as their element colour!"  
Veemon put the fire stone in the red slot and the water stone in the dark blue slot. He was beginning to get tired,  
"Solid, Crystal" thought Elecmon, "Crystals are shiny and solid... aha! Ice! Don't worry, we'll handle this one,  
Gomamon and Elecmon carried the ice stone to the light blue slot,  
"Light and Goodnessh is holy" concluded Veemon, as his mind slipped to Gatomon. He put the holy stone in the white slot.  
"Rumbling and shock, lightning of course" said Gomamon, "Um, that must be yellow"  
The lightning stone was put in the yellow slot,  
"Okay, jusht two more" sighed Veemon, his back sore, "Travelling and invishible? Add annoying, and that'sh Biyomon creeping up behind your back"  
Gomamon laughed,  
"Close" said Elecmon, "It must be wind, and this last one has to be earth"  
The last two stones were put in their slots, and the three digimages panted, waiting for something to happen,  
"Don't we turn the keys?" asked Gomamon,  
"How? They're right in" pointed out Veemon. There was nothing visible to turn the keystones.  
"There's more to it than that" muttered Elecmon, "Maybe... Static Bolt!"  
Elecmon shot lightning at the yellow slot. The stone glowed gold,  
"Bingo!" he shouted in satisfaction,  
"Niagara Shooter!" Gomamon shot a jet of water at the dark blue slot. The key glowed deep blue.  
"I have to do the other five don't I?" asked Veemon, looking tired,  
"I think I can do Ice" said Gomamon, "Hang on... Moon Beam!"  
His ice attack made the light blue stone glow turquoise.  
"Shun Beam!" Veemon shot a red ray at the red slot. The fire stone glowed too. He turned to the wind slot,  
"Autumn Runner!" The grey stone glowed,  
"Quake... Zone!" Thankfully, the green slot was set to the bottom, and glowed to Veemon's attack. He was exhausted now, and the white slot in the centre still needed to be activated.  
"You think you can handle it?" asked Elecmon. Veemon shook his head, he could barely speak,  
"I'll give it a try" said Elecmon. He concentrated, and a pod of light appeared on his paw,  
"Holy Providence!" A white beam shot from Elecmon, to the white slot. It glowed as well as the other six. As the digimages watched, the entire wall turned, and slided away, revealing an opening. They had a glimpse of the sunlight, before it was blocked again. A stone being appeared, with an elemental hexagon branded on his head.  
"Who dares awaken me?" he boomed, his voice echoing through the cavern, "I am Ardeuxmon, I destroy the weak and assist the strong. What are you three then?"  
"We're shtrong" answered Veemon, still panting. Ardeuxmon looked like he doubted it, they looked weak,  
"We shall see" he continued, "Defeat me in battle, and I shall let you three past"  
Elecmon seriously doubted they would even stand a chance. Veemon was extremely tired, and he was their main offence. Gomamon was their secondary offence, and he Elecmon, was a healer. Veemon stood up steadily anyway,  
"Let the battle begin" boomed Ardeuxmon, "Cold Snap!"  
He used an ice spell on Gomamon, but thanks to his resistance to ice, it had little effect. It was time for retaliation.  
"Aurora Gate!" Gomamon's spell seemed to be quite effective. Ardeuxmon groaned as the rainbow curtains beared down upon him, but he still stood strong.  
"Fire Wall!" Veemon was attacked this time, but he barely noticed the massive wall of flame around him. Ardeuxmon was worried now, but he still sneered,  
"So, you three are elementals?" he asked, "Very well, we shall see your weaknesses..."  
His seven eyes glowed, and they rested on Elecmon, "So, you're weak against wind?" he asked, "F3 Twister!"  
Elecmon was blown around with rainbow wind. He fell limp on the cavern floor. Veemon attacked next, but it was severely painful,  
"Light Column!" Orbs of light orbited around the stone giant. He scanned Veemon,  
"Very interesting" he said, "Weak against water? Water Spout!" Veemon spluttered and collapsed as a tornado of water spun him around. Gomamon was last, he had to finish the battle,  
"Aurora Gate!" Ardeuxmon was diverted, but he still saw that Gomamon was weak against lightning. Sparks flew between his antennae...  
"Rail Channel!" Gomamon was fried by the spell, but he still endured it. It was time for an overdrive.  
"Northern Lights!" This aurora attack was much stronger than last time, Ardeuxmon cracked and fell to the floor, creating a shockwave throughout the cavern,  
"You defeated me..." he exclaimed, "I must help the strong. Take the seven jewels from me, I am not worthy to carry them any longer"  
Ardeuxmon spoke no more. Gomamon shrugged, and took the seven jewels from his opponent. He found they were attached to rings. Ardeuxmon faded. Gomamon gave Elecmon and Veemon some healing herbs, and they walked through the exit into the daylight, all relieved, and dozed off in a bare stretch of land out of exhaustion.

Elecmon, Gomamon and Veemon woke up at around dusk. They resumed their journey, Elecmon sending his signal again.  
"What are these for?" asked Gomamon, the seven rings still in his flipper,  
"They're elemental rings" answered Elecmon, stopping, "They boost our elements"  
"Very good" smiled Gomamon, "We can wear ours now... err... I can't really wear rings"  
"Neither can I" sighed Elecmon, "Here you go, Vemo"  
Veemon was given the ruby fire ring, it fitted neatly on his finger, and he felt slightly warmer with it on. He felt sorry for the other two, but had an idea. He had found some string in the cave, and took it for safe keeps.  
"Gomesh, can I have the thunder and water ringsh too?" asked Veemon,  
"Take all six, I don't mind" shrugged Gomamon, "They make you look a bit suss though"  
Elecmon laughed,  
"I don't want to wear them" said Veemon, "Jusht the thunder and water, I've got an idea"  
Gomamon gave him the topaz and aquamarine rings, and Veemon tied some string around them.  
"Here, wear them around your necksh"  
Elecmon and Gomamon did so. Elecmon felt quite charged with his, and Gomamon felt more hydrated.  
"Thanks" they both said, glad of their power boosters.  
"One more thing" said Veemon, hesitating, Gomamon and Elecmon looked,  
"What is it?" asked Elecmon rubbing his ring,  
"Can I have the Holy ring too?" asked Veemon, Gomamon gave the diamond ring to him,  
"You want to give it to Gatomon don't you?" he asked, Veemon nodded, Gomamon smiled, "That means we have to wait for later to give them to the others, Gatomon will get jealous, she wants the ring to feel special"  
"Gomesh, how do you know sho much about women?" asked Veemon, amazed,  
"Know your enemy I guess" shrugged Gomamon. Elecmon laughed, and continued walking.  
"Where could they be?" asked Gomamon, swinging his flippers around absent-mindedly,  
"Who? The Necromancers or the others?" asked Elecmon,  
"The others" said Gomamon,  
"No idea" sighed Elecmon, "I wish they had some sort of signal too"  
Veemon had an idea,  
"Agumon shot shome fireballsh in the air when we were walking" he explained, "Why don't we shend up a flare too?"  
"But what?" asked Gomamon, "Agumon and Gabumon can breathe fire whenever they want, but we don't have anything like that"  
"You're forgetting about me" said Elecmon, making a loud thunderclap, "You can see my lightning a hundred miles away"  
"Okay, then you do that" said Veemon. Elecmon's tail feathers glowed white, and a flash of lightning shot into the sky. The thunder was ear-splitting, but sounded different from real thunder. There was a humming sound among the rumbling,

"What was that?" asked Gabumon. He heard what sounded like a thunderbolt, but he also heard an electric buzzing sound too.  
"That must be Elecmon" exclaimed Biyomon, "Who else do we know that can make thunder like that?"  
They ran toward the source of the thunder.

Elecmon repeated his lightning every few minutes, but every flare has a glitch. Your flare may not only attract your friends, but your enemies as well. Soon, Gomamon heard someone nearby. He looked, and saw a pointed hat with wings on either side. Shamonesmon had answered their call.  
"You lot are getting more and more irritating by the minute" she said coldly, "Now, witness my wrath! Fastitomon! Come Forth!"  
Two orange fins appeared in the ground. They moved toward Gomamon, and attempted to slash his legs, but Gomamon jumped out of the way immediately. The Fastitomon dove into the ground, and their fins disappeared. One appeared behind Veemon, and slashed his tail, leaving a large scar. Another one tried to get Elecmon, but he dodged it just in time, and attacked.  
"Rail Channel!" With the boost of his Thunder ring, Elecmon's lightning power was increased, and he shot branches of lightning at the ground, and electrified one Fastitomon. It sat stunned for a minute, but then shot above the ground. Fastitomon looked like an orange fish. It hovered with a float spell, then attacked Gomamon by biting his ear, then twisting around. Gomamon was in agony, but he managed to fight Fastitomon off. The second Fastitomon exploited Gomamon's diverted attention, and slashed his foot.  
"Quake Zone!" Veemon stomped on the ground, and it shook violently. Both Fastitomon were above the ground, and they both attacked Veemon, biting and snapping. Gomamon was in great pain, and was in no position to save Veemon from losing his ears. Fastitomon's bite had done something, probably poisoning, and he fainted.  
"Storm Beam!" Elecmon stood on all fours, and his tail feathers lit up with sparks. A blue beam shot from it, and hit Veemon. However, Veemon was protected from lightning because he was a dragon, but the Fastitomon were not. They were fried by the electricity, and were destroyed. Elecmon healed the other two, and as he did so, Gabumon and the others joined the fray.  
"You okay?" asked Gabumon, "I was worried for a minute that Elecmon was under control"  
Gatomon stormed up to Elecmon,  
"What do you think you're doing?!" she snarled, "Why did you attack him?!"  
"Gatomon, it didn't do anything" assured Veemon, "If he hadn't I would've losht my earsh"  
"So, you don't get hurt by lightning?" asked Gatomon, "Wow, that's good. In that case, thanks a lot, Elecmon, you're a great asset to the team"  
Elecmon grinned.  
"That was an overdrive wasn't it?" asked Biyomon, "So it's not just Mr. Pointy nose that can do it? I wonder what everyone else's overdrives will be?"  
"It looks like there's different types of overdrives too" nodded Gabumon, "Very interesting"

Will the other digimages get the chance to use their overdrives? Will the Necromancers stand a chance against them? What new powers will their elemental rings give them? Will I have to go about the bother of making charts of all their attacks? Find out in Chapter 8 of Attack of the Necromancers! Please Review!


	8. Wizardmon's Return

**CHAPTER 8 - Wizardmon's Return**

"Vee, where did you get that ring?" asked Gatomon, noticing the ruby on Veemon's fourth finger,  
"It'sh a fire ring, we found it in a cave" explained Veemon, "We found a Thunder and Water ring too"  
Elecmon and Gomamon held up their rings, Gatomon looked envious, and turned around. Veemon sighed,  
"Go with your instincts" whispered Gomamon,  
The seven of them continued their stroll, until Gomamon collapsed,  
"Ugh, I'm sooo tired" he moaned,  
"There's a big house over there" pointed out Biyomon, looking at a manor, "Let's see"  
They ran over to the house and knocked on the door. Someone extremely familiar answered.  
"Wizardmon?!" asked Gatomon, utterly shocked, "I thought you were destroyed"  
"It's been a while, Gatomon" said Wizardmon. He was dressed in a shabby padded suit, and wore a deep purple cloak with a skull button. He had his mouth covered, he had messy tan hair, and he wore a worn out pointed hat with a skull on the buckle.  
"What happened?" asked Gabumon,  
"I was reborn" answered Wizardmon, "It took a very long while because I was destroyed in the real world, but remember that digimon don't die. However, I believe that you seven are cursed so this can't happen"  
They nodded. Wizardmon had been Gatomon's friend when she was Myotismon's slave. He assisted the digidestined in the real world in their fight, and toward the end, he had blocked Myotismon's attack and was destroyed. He appeared four years later as a ghost to warn them about Oi Kawa, Malomyotismon's puppet, and now, he was there, looking them all in the eye.  
"Come in" he said, "Gennai gave me a lot of compensation for taking so long to regenerate, so I bought this house"  
Wizardmon's house was bursting with the unexpected. Even the short route from the front door to the kitchen was quite a trauma. Biyomon looked in the mirror, and it shouted back in her voice, "Do something about your lyres!" and a magic comb buzzed around Gomamon like an angry bee.  
"I see you seven are very good digimages now" said Wizardmon, making eight cups appear out of midair and dropped on the table, filling with drinks,  
"Yeah, it's been really interesting" said Gatomon, sipping her drink, "I'm glad you're back, I was worried that I'd never see you again"  
Veemon felt a tiny pang on the back of his neck. Nothing was there when he felt it,  
"Have you learned your Ultimate spells yet?" asked Wizardmon,  
"No" confessed the seven of them,  
"Maybe I can help you a bit there" said Wizardmon, "You all look tired, you can sleep here tonight"  
"What'sh up with all the curshesh around here?" asked Veemon, looking at the candelabra, that began spinning on its own,  
"I've been experimenting with digimagic, but unfortunately there's been a lot of failures" said Wizardmon. The spinning candelabra began to shoot embers everywhere. Wizardmon stopped it, and extinguished a fire on Gabumon's fur.  
"I'm terribly sorry" he said,  


"So, how can you help us with digimagic?" asked Gatomon,  
"I'll find some books tonight, and tell you all tomorrow" said Wizardmon, "I've been a bit forgetful lately"  
He turned to the others,  
"Who are you?" he asked Armadillomon. Dillomon was in his standing knight mode, and didn't look very much like the Armadillomon they had known before. Gatomon re-introduced him and Gomamon, who was also not very familiar, and Wizardmon turned to Veemon,  
"Uh, Yeemon?" he asked uncertainly. Gomamon raised his eyebrows, grinning. Veemon corrected him,  
"Ah, yes" said Wizardmon, "You defeated Chimeramon didn't you?"  
Chimeramon was the digimon emperor's Ultimate creation, a fearsome digimon that almost wiped out everyone in the emperor's base, but Magnamon defeated him.  
"I see you've defeated Ardeuxmon as well" added Wizardmon, noticing the three rings, "You must be powerful then"  
"Yeah!" smiled Veemon, remembering the holy ring he was going to give to Gatomon later. Elecmon and Gomamon would give out the other three later on too.  
"Well, I can sleep easier knowing that you seven are in charge of stopping the Necromancers. I saw what happened in their mansion, well done"  
"How...?" asked Gatomon, but Wizardmon pulled a crystal ball out of his cloak, and it showed Bardmon.  
"Want to eavesdrop?" asked Wizardmon, and he cast a spell on the ball. Bardmon's voice filled the room,  
"Ugh, I can't believe those rookies defeated us" he barked,  
"One's a champion" added Shamonesmon,  
"But that rookie, Veemon, almost defeated me in one hit!" continued Bardmon, "We need to have a plan next time"  
"Their power is great when they are together" said Zyndromon, "We can barely do damage because of their defences, and if we do, their supporters heal them"  
"But if we catch them apart" said Lorheasmon, "We could take them off much easier"  
"I did manage to get them apart" said Shamonesmon, "But they might now have a defence against teleporting too. It's really easy, all you do is focus hard on the spot you're on right now"  
"Aha!" smiled Elecmon, "Thankyou, Shamonesmon, that'll do nicely"  
"Maybe if we team up too?" suggested Zyndromon, showing no signs of hearing Elecmon,  
"That might just work" said Bardmon, "Very well, we shall try to collapse them tomorrow, and when we do, they'll drop like rabbits! Gwahahahaha!"  
"Ugh, that laugh is so irritating" said Gatomon, "Turn it off"  
Wizardmon cast a spell, and the crystal ball turned transparent.  
"You see what this means?" he asked the five of them, "You need to be strong, otherwise they will defeat you. Grow strong on the inside, as well as the outside. We will talk again tomorrow"

The digimages had a great time in Wizardmon's mansion. They even had the luxury of a warm bath, like the one the older digidestined appreciated at Devimon's fake mansion. Despite Biyomon's disgruntlement, they saw no reason why they shouldn't mix genders, there was only one large bath after all. They all tried to relax, but it was hard,  
"Don't sink, Ieemon" joked Gomamon, floating past. Veemon had his feet firmly placed on the shallow area of the bath, and was attempting to relax, but he kept jumping every second, scared 

of slinking down into the deep area and ending up on the bottom,  
"Come on, Gabba" called Elecmon and Gatomon. Gabumon was deciding whether or not to go in the water. If he did, he would have to take off his fur in front of everyone, Armadillomon began clapping, encouraging him to go in, everyone else followed suit. Gabumon huffed, flung his fur off and jumped in, creating a large wave that wet the whole floor. Everyone cheered, but it didn't last long. Gomamon was now spooking everyone by diving down and tickling their feet. He could hold his breath for a heck of a long time. However, he found teasing Veemon to be a mistake, when the blue dragon retaliated and lifted him up out of the water, but Gomamon reached down and tickled his armpits. Veemon dropped him, and Gomamon tripped him up. They play-wrestled, laughing, disturbing everyone else. However, Gatomon was splashed, and the pair paused, awaiting the explosion,  
"Right, that does it!" she snapped, and joined their fight, easily winning, even when Veemon and Gomamon teamed up. Their game ended when Veemon almost drowned when they were drawn to the deep area. They left the bath and had some dinner, all occasionally glancing at Veemon, who was shaking quite hard, no matter how much Gomamon and Gatomon apologised.

After dinner, one by one, the digimages went to bed. Gatomon stayed up to talk to Wizardmon, she sat on the living room window ledge, while Wizardmon remained standing.  
"How have you been going all this time, Gatomon?" asked Wizardmon,  
"I've been okay" answered Gatomon, "Kari's taken good care of me"  
"I'm glad" smiled Wizardmon, "Do you still feel safe around her?"  
"No" sighed Gatomon. She had one main problem; she didn't feel safe at any time. This was probably because of her problems being raised at Myotismon's, of all the cruelty she was given, and the fact that there was no escape from it. Gatomon had one main thing on her mind, to find someone to hide behind, and feel safe around. One person came to mind.  
"Do you know anyone else you feel safe around?" asked Wizardmon. Gatomon told him her problems several years ago, and he had attempted to help her along the way.  
"I think so" said Gatomon, "Yes I do" she nodded, her mind on Veemon. She realised what she felt around him now, it was the safety she had been longing for all these years. Veemon would do anything to keep her safe, and would probably have to be down and out before he'd let her get hit.  
"That is very good" nodded Wizardmon, "Just curious, how far in digimagic are you?"  
"Around the middle" shrugged Gatomon. Wizardmon grasped her shoulder, then turned around. Gatomon looked, he had vanished. She looked out the window, appreciating the beauty of the stars.

Veemon had a nightmare. He and his allies were fighting Lorheasmon, and one by one, his allies were killed in various ways, with Gatomon having the worst death, and then Lorheasmon would laugh, and then kill him. Veemon awoke, then fell back to sleep, and dreamed about the deaths again, this time, he was fighting Zyndromon, and then Shamonesmon, and finally Bardmon. Veemon couldn't handle it anymore, he went downstairs, and bumped into Gabumon,  
"Oh, hello" he said cheerfully, "You can't sleep too?"  
Veemon shook his head,  


"Let's talk" said Gabumon, walking up to the window, sighing, his unfortunately stinky breath creating a mist on the glass. Veemon stood next to him, leaning against the window still, the flowers on the other side spinning slightly,  
"What about?" he asked, wondering what on earth Gabumon could be on about.  
"Girls" sighed Gabumon,  
"What'sh the matter?" asked Veemon, he was certain that Gabumon needed some help in something; Veemon was pondering his answer prehand.  
"I need some help" confessed Gabumon,  
"Why are you ashking me?"  
"Well, you've been lucky, Gatomon likes you" pointed out Gabumon  
"Oh" blushed Veemon, "Who do you like?"  
"Err, Biyomon" confessed Gabumon,  
"Well, you're in luck" smiled Veemon, "She kinda likesh you too"  
"But how do I ask her?" asked Gabumon  
"Wait for the moment" said Veemon, "You'll know when it comesh"  
"Ho-kay" sighed Gabumon, "Thanks for that. Do you think Biyomon would like flowers?"  
"No, that'sh trying too hard" said Veemon, shaking his head, "Jusht lishten to what she shaysh, and throw in shtuff here and there, and it should go fine"  
"Goodnight" said Gabumon, and went to bed, Veemon went downstairs  
Gatomon was sitting in the window couch, looking at the moon.  
"Can I shit down too?" asked Veemon, Gatomon looked disgusted at him, but then stopped immediately,  
"Oh, you were lisping, sorry" she muttered, embarrassed. Veemon sighed,  
"Sure, you can" said Gatomon. The small blue dragon sat down.  
"Remember when we first met?" asked Gatomon. A small pulse shot up Veemon's spine. When a girl asks you that, things are bound to occur well.  
"Yeah" he answered,  
"Back then, I admit I thought you were a bigger loser than Davis and Gomamon combined" continued Gatomon, "But now..." she shook her head, "Why do you like me?"  
"Your eyesh" answered Veemon, "They remind me of shappiresh"  
Gatomon blushed,  
"Alsho, I like it when you laugh" continued Veemon, "It shoundsh sho... right"  
"I like you because you're... so... devoted" said Gatomon, "When you took that death spell that Kilhamon cast, that really made me go through a lot, and when I got out of that maze in my mind, I liked you, even if you lisp like a four year old, and not to mention, you don't look very impressive"  
Veemon looked down. He didn't have a very muscly body, he had a small build, and his white stomach made him look like a pet animal, but in the three years since he had been out of the cave, he had grown a few ripples, plus he now had a sort of six-pack, if he heaved in his stomach,  
"Yeah, I might not have Exshveemon's mushcles anymore, but then again, who shaysh I have to change for people to like me?" said Veemon. Gatomon looked at him,  
"You have changed" she pointed out, "You're now a stronger, smarter and better person than that blue lizard who I fought with against Malomyotismon"  
Veemon didn't know whether to feel offended or flattered by this statement. Gatomon had described him as a lizard in those days, but now she described him as a dragon. That was a great 

improvement.  
"Anyway, before, I didn't feel safe anywhere" continued Gatomon, "So much bad stuff has happened to me, and I felt so vulnerable to it. But, ever since you blocked that attack, I feel safe around you, that's why I like you now, you're the one haven from the storm"  
"So that's the real reason" thought Veemon to himself,  
They paused.  
"Did you like my digivolved formsh, Gatsh?" asked Veemon, "I can call you Gatsh, if that's okay"  
"Yeah, it's fine" sighed Gatomon, wishing he wouldn't lisp, "I didn't really like your digivolved forms" she admitted, holding her claws up,  
"Exveemon looked cool, but he was a bit dumb" she put one claw down, "Raindramon was too weird with Davis" Veemon blushed, "Flamedramon... now that was a fella who impressed me, but... no. I've got to get to know the guy before I like him. He was too pointy and tall anyway, and Magnamon's too hard to come by. But Veemon's smart, will protect anyone with his life, is a cute, good friend and is a good size, but what I like about him most, is his emotions. When he's sad, his ears and tail droop down. When he's angry, he's more scary than Malomyotismon, to the bad guys of course, and when he's happy, it seems to lighten the whole room. And when he's nervous, he either scratches his ears or bites his claws and goes all quiet" she paused, watching Veemon scratch his ears nervously, "What about my digivolved forms? Did you still like me then?"  
"Well... no" answered Veemon, "Nefertimon, Angewomon, they all had mashks, shee? And they'd block out your fashe"  
"You'd even turn down Angewomon for me?" asked Gatomon, her eyes lighting up,  
"I only judge a girl by her fashe, and I can't name any with a better one than yoursh" shrugged Veemon,  
"What about Magnadramon?" asked Gatomon, "She didn't wear a mask"  
Veemon laughed,  
"Gatsh, Magnadramon'sh way too big" he sniggered, "Anyway, I shtill think you're better"  
Gatomon smiled. She never knew Veemon could be this charming. They had further conversations about this and that, until there was a small pause. Gatomon turned, and looked into Veemon's eyes. He looked back, in his normal cheerful way. Something was fluttering away in Gatomon's stomach as though her dinner was alive, which it probably was, after all, this was Wizardmon's place, but something else was happening too.  
"Huh? She's all moisty eyed" thought Veemon,  
"Holy Aphanemon, he's so turning me on" thought Gatomon. She never realised how warm and friendly Veemon's gaze was, but she did then, she had the urge to try out something she'd only ever seen humans on television do. She leaned forward.  
"I wonder if she'll..." thought Veemon, but the young blue dragon's train of thought was interrupted by the next moment.  
They both shut their eyes, and everything from there seemed to go naturally. The crystal chandelier above them lit up magically, it looked magnificent. They leaned back, smiling.  
"I've been meaning to give this to you" said Veemon, opening his hand. He kept it clenched tight all day yesterday, Gatomon was impressed,  
"Oh...my...gawd... Vee, it's beautiful" she breathed, examining the diamond ring,  
"It's a holy ring" said Veemon, "I hope you like it, I nearly died trying to get it, you know, Ardeuxmon"  


"I love it" smiled Gatomon, putting the ring on her tail, just above her healing ring, "This is so sweet of you, Vee" she hugged the blue dragon, who patted her shoulder, smiling at how soft Gatomon's fur was. They embraced for about five minutes, then Gatomon yawned and got up,  
"Thanks again" she smiled, and went upstairs, Veemon walked into the dining room, his heart rate higher than ever.

How will Veemon and Gatomon feel about each other now? Will Gabumon gather up the courage to ask Biyomon out? What will the digimages learn from Wizardmon tomorrow. Why didn't Veemon lisp in the last few lines? Find out in chapter 9 of Attack of the Necromancers


	9. The New System

**CHAPTER 9 - The New System**

Gomamon, Armadillomon, and Elecmon were talking in the dining room when Veemon returned. Weak sunlight shone through the windows.

"Hey, Zeemon!" called Gomamon. Veemon didn't bother to correct him,

"Where were you all night?" asked Elecmon, "Gatomon wasn't here, so we tried a panty raid, but Biyomon was there, guarding it like a hawk"

"She attacks like one too" added Armadillomon, in his knight mode. A ring was on his finger, it had a green emerald on it. Apparently, this was the Earth ring.

"Grow up" muttered Veemon, "We're supposed to be fighting the Necromancers, and you three are stealing knickers?"

"We did find out something" smirked Gomamon, "Biyomon's a size ten! So her feathers don't just make her behind look big, it really is!"

"What? Biyomon doesn't wear knickers" pointed out Veemon,

"She does in her Sorceress mode" shrugged Armadillomon, "And Gatomon in her wizardess mode"

"Gawd, you fellas are the end" said Veemon, impatiently,

"Sorry, what was that?" asked Elecmon,

"Gawd - you - fellas - are - the - end" said Veemon again,

"You didn't lisp" exclaimed Armadillomon,

"Sandy sold sea shells by the sea shore" recited Veemon without mistake, "Wow! I've stopped it!"

"This calls for celebration" said Armadillomon, getting up, "The end of Veemon's Vested Vibrant Vocabulary"

He and Gomamon left the room to tell the others.

"What's going on with you?" asked Elecmon, suspiciously at Veemon,

"N-thingsgonon" said Veemon,

"Whoooa! Veemon, you... of all people... wow!" spluttered Elecmon, "Wait 'till I tell..."

"Please, don't" pleaded Veemon, "How did you know?"

"You're stammering, and you've got some white fur on your lips, and you two were missing all night" smirked Elecmon, "So, you finally tamed the beast, eh? Did you..."

"Stop it, Elecmon" muttered Veemon,

"There'll be little Veegatomons running about soon!"

"Shut up, Elecmon!" growled Veemon. If the wise and sensible Elecmon reacted this way, the way Gomamon would react would be right off the scale of idiocy, and if Gatomon knew he had been bragging, she would probably have second thoughts about him.

"What were you doing on a panty raid anyway?" asked Veemon, "I thought you weren't into that stuff?"

"Just enjoying my bachelorhood" shrugged Elecmon, grinning

"But I thought you wanted to go out with Biyomon?" asked Veemon. He supposed the real reason was because Gomamon's been corrupting Elecmon too much,

"Nah, I've given up" he sighed, "She's too nasty, I've gone off her"

Elecmon retained his straight face as Gatomon appeared, and she pulled Veemon from his seat and danced.

"Yay! You've finally stopped lisping! This is so great!"

"What happened?" asked Elecmon. Gatomon realised she had given a bit away, and let go of Veemon, and blushed. Elecmon was an extremely good actor, he acted as though absolutely nothing had been told.

"What's going on?" Elecmon asked, "Gatomon?"

"Nothing" said Gatomon, "And can you call me Gats? Gatomon is too formal". Veemon made a hand gesture behind Gatomon's back, and Elecmon stopped, but he raised his eyebrows to say that the others might work it out.

Gomamon, Biyomon, Armadillomon and Gabumon returned. Biyomon had changed back into her sorceress mode because she felt a lot more comfortable. She filled her lungs and said, much to the other's dismay,

"Hey, Gats, Some guys decided to have a panty raid last night"

"What?" Gatomon spluttered, "Who?"

"The three musketeers" said Biyomon cynically.

Gatomon lost her temper. She yelled at Elecmon (You should be more responsible! You're the oldest one here! Act your age!) and Armadillomon (Absolutely disgusted with you, you fat yellow hillbilly!), but with Gomamon, whoa.

"YOU SICK FREAK! I SHOULD DECK YOU WHERE YOU STAND, YOU..."

"Please, Gato... Gats, you'll wake up Wizardmon" pleaded Gabumon

"YOU WANT TO SEE BRAS AND KNICKERS? GO INTO THE SUPERMARKET, YOU PERVERT!"

Wizardmon didn't appear, apparently he slept very well. Gomamon leaned backwards as Gatomon exploded with rage. She was as blue as Veemon by the time she finished ten minutes later. Veemon was beginning to have second thoughts about Gatomon. He imagined walking in the door to his house drunk and Gatomon there to greet him, like in a movie he saw at Davis's, with her hair in rollers, wearing a nightdress holding a baby with Gatomon's ears and tail, but Veemon's colouring, and he imagined Gatomon's rage.

"Anyway, what were we celebrating again?" asked Biyomon, bringing Veemon back from space.

"The end of Veemon's Vested Vibrant Vocabulary" said Gabumon, not helping grinning.

"I don't believe it" said Biyomon, looking at Veemon,

"Say something" she told him.

"Sandy sold seashells" said Veemon,

"Okay" said Biyomon, blinking, "Now, straighten your ears and I'll be happy, and dye your stomach, it looks so pathetic"

"Ignore her" whispered Gatomon, "She's jealous"

"JEALOUS?!" asked Biyomon, "Of what? This..."

"Shut up, Biyomon" said Elecmon, impatiently. Biyomon glared at him.

"Stop it, all of you" said a wheezy voice. Wizardmon appeared,

"This is exactly what you shouldn't do" he said sternly, "You shouldn't be arguing like this, otherwise you'll fall apart from the inside, and then Bardmon will be able to take over the world easily"

Wizardmon took a deep breath, and spoke in a gentler tone,

"I realise you are trying to enjoy life, and that is acceptable, seeing you're all so vulnerable, but please, stay strong. Have your party, and go to sleep, Well done, Viamon on overcoming your lisp"

Gomamon smirked at Veemon, who glared back. Gatomon noticed the Ice ring on Gabumon's finger, the Wind Ring on Biyomon's wing, and the Earth ring on Armadillomon's finger. She sighed, looking at her Holy ring. It wasn't so special after all, but since Veemon had given it to her directly, it seemed better.

Wizardmon woke up at around noon. Everyone was standing in the library, ready.

"Okay, you all need to learn your Ultimate spells to have a chance against the Necromancers" announced Wizardmon, "Who wants to try first?"

"I will" said, to everyone's surprise, Gomamon, and walked to the middle of the room. Wizardmon summoned a book from the library, and it said on the cover, 'Water Digimagic'

"Okaay" said Wizardmon to himself, "Gomamon, have you learned how to use Aurora yet?"

"Sure have" answered Gomamon,

"Then use it" said Wizardmon. Gomamon used his Aurora on a bare spot, and Wizardmon tutored him.

"There are levels to digimagic, as with digivolving" he explained, "At the moment, you're all on different levels. The levels are Initial, Intermediate, Mage, Maestro, Master and High Mage. Aurora Gate is a Maestro level spell"

Wizardmon continued to train all seven of them until they had learned their Maestro spells and had a small idea on what their Master level spells were.

"That was a highly lucrative session" exclaimed Wizardmon,

"Yes, whatever" sighed Bardmon, he had been sitting on top of a library shelf.

"Get out of my house!" shouted Wizardmon,

"Make me" smiled Bardmon cruelly,

"Fire Wheel!" Wizardmon shot a medium fireball at Bardmon, who avoided it, and the flame ignited some of his books,

"Jovia Barrage!" Bardmon shot some rainbow beams at Wizardmon,

"Moon Curtain!" Wizardmon blocked the beams and they ricocheted all over the library.

"Get out of here" called Wizardmon as the shield stayed up, "It's not safe"

"We're going nowhere without you" vowed Gatomon, "I'm not letting it happen again"

"Gatomon, please" wheezed Wizardmon,

"I'll distract him!" yelled Veemon, "Hey! Bung! The only thing that clashes worse than your clothes is a canary next to an elephant!"

Bardmon fired a death spell at Veemon, but it missed,

"Your aim isn't bad, it's pathetic!" teased Veemon,

"Jovia Barrage!"

"Ziedrich Force!"

"Let's go" whispered Gatomon, Bardmon was too busy to worry about them.

"Halleway Flare!" Bardmon shot an immensely powerful beam at Veemon, and it damaged his Ziedrich barrier,

"I'm staying" said Gomamon, "Aurora Solstice!"

Gomamon had a ball of rainbow light in his flipper, and he threw it at Bardmon. Its effect was extraordinary, Bardmon was almost out. Gatomon and the others left Wizardmon's home.

"Don't be a fool" Bardmon warned,

"Look in a mirror!" called Veemon,

"Be quick though, it might break" teased Gomamon,

"Halleway Flare!" Veemon's barrier was completely destroyed by the second beam, and both digimon suffered the effects of Bardmon's attack.

Everything seemed to be in order.

"Mode change to... Animal mode!"

Veemon changed into his animal mode,

"We need to finish this" he called,

"Right" said Gomamon, "Mode change to... Aqua mode!"

Veemon ran to Bardmon, with Gomamon on his back. They were preparing for a double attack,

"AURORA RUSH!"

Veemon's head and tail glowed like Aurora, and he charged Bardmon down. The effect was devastating.

"Ugh! Not AGAIN!" growled Bardmon, and teleported away.

Veemon and Gomamon changed back into their two legged forms, and ran out of Wizardmon's home. They found Wizardmon and the others in the surrounding woodlands.

"You need to learn your Ultimate spells" said Wizardmon, "You see, anything less will simply make them teleport away, and they will heal themselves and fight again. You need to get them in one hit. I must go now"

"Come with us" suggested Gatomon,

"Not this time, Gatomon" wheezed Wizardmon, "You'll have to go ahead without me, I'm not the mon that I used to be. Good luck all of you"

Wizardmon turned to Veemon,

"You take good care of Gatomon, she doesn't show it, but deep down she needs a good friend like you" he muttered. Veemon nodded, confidently, still quite happy from the kiss last night.

Wizardmon teleported away,

"Where to, now?" asked Biyomon,

"Wherever" sighed Veemon, "The Necromancers always seem to find us, the best thing we can do is practise those High Mage shpells... err... I mean spells" he added, hastily. Everyone smirked.

"What about those combination attacks?" asked Gabumon, "They look very effective"

"Yeah, combining our powers seems a good idea" agreed Elecmon, "How did you come up with that idea? Aurora Rush?"

"Err, thing of the moment I suppose?" said Gomamon awkwardly, making Gatomon raise her eyebrows. Veemon dug his toe claws into Gomamon's foot out of warning.

"Let's head on" said Elecmon, and they all continued in their fight against the Necromancers.

What will be the other dual techniques? What new adventures await the digimages? Exactly how does Bardmon plan to team up on them? Is this story so good it should be put on air for real? Find out in Chapter 10 of Attack of the Necromancers. Please R&R!


	10. The Good Brother

CHAPTER 10 - The Good Brother

**CHAPTER 10 - The Good Brother**

The digimages had a very poor sleep that night, Veemon regretting turning down the luxury of Wizardmon's accommodation. The next day was hot, extremely hot. Gabumon was worked very hard with his ice digimagic, and soon was quite worn out. Gomamon tried, but his water turned hot after a few minutes.

"And who else is here to exploit our exhaustion?" asked Elecmon sarcastically,

"Shut up, you'll jinx us!" hushed Biyomon. Most fortunately, none of the Necromancers turned up, and to add to their bounty, Gatomon saw what looked like a stream next to a large snow-topped mountain.

"Hey, look guys!" she called, and ran toward it.

"Ugh, I am NOT climbing" vowed Armadillomon,

"No, you idiot, the stream comes from the mountain, and the mountain's cool so therefore the stream is cool too" said Gabumon, a bit crabbily because his fur made him itchy as well as hot.

They approached the stream, and most of them jumped in the water. It was nice and cold from the mountains.

"You going, Vee?" asked Gatomon,

"Um, yesh... I mean yes" he lisped, everyone laughing, "Jusht a minute" said Veemon nervously, preparing to mode change. Gatomon lost patience and pushed him in.

"Nice isn't it?" asked Gatomon. Veemon struggled for a minute, then sunk under the surface, still sinking like a stone. It was as though his body was too heavy to float in water in his being mode, but he didn't seem heavy, he was only sixty pounds after all. The surface of the water pulled away again, he needed to breathe,

"Gato... Gats, he was serious when he said he couldn't swim" said Gomamon, who changed into his old form with his flippers. He retrieved the spluttering Veemon and helped him to the bank

"Sorry" muttered Gatomon. Veemon changed into his animal mode,

"How come you never told me you couldn't swim?" asked Gatomon, "It's not too hard"

"I know" sighed Veemon, " It was something to do with being a dragon and all that" he looked cold, "Don't push me in again!"

"Sorry" muttered Gatomon again, Veemon went back into the stream, in a bad mood. They enjoyed it in the stream, it was flowing moderately fast, and they all relaxed when Armadillomon treated them all to a floating spell (Elecmon didn't need one, he just floated thanks to his homeliness, and Biyomon was already waterproof). The digimages just watched the countryside flow slowly by, it was too hot to get out of the cool stream, and they were amazed when they were privileged to go over a large viaduct.

"What's a viaduct?" asked Veemon when Gomamon pointed this out,

"It's a bridge for water" answered Gomamon, "Look over the side and you'll see why"

Veemon had a glance over the side of the stone canal and was quite scared with the view. They were about a mile above a massive valley. He stopped relaxing at once and tried to get over the viaduct as fast as possible,

"Poor fella" sighed Gomamon, "Hey! Don't tell me that's..."

"Greetings again, digimages" said Zyndromon,

"Hey! (Gatomon told Zyndromon to do something that made everyone stare at her) off you (Gatomon called her something that made everyone squeak in surprise)! We're happy here"

"Oh, fine, I was just looking forward to a chat, but if you insist... Blast Furnace!"

Zyndromon destroyed the Viaduct and the digimages all fell down the hole. Veemon was too far ahead to be affected, but Zyndromon noticed his absence and went over the viaduct to look.

"Good, I'm over now" thought Veemon to himself, "I should wait for the others"

He got out of the stream and changed back into his being mode. He saw that the Viaduct was now dry, and the water was flowing back to it. Veemon was shocked to see a large gaping hole in the middle of the bridge, and he looked slowly down the large valley, and the situation hit him like one of Bardmon's bombs. The others were probably small puddles of mush at the bottom of the valley. However, Veemon had no chance to dwell on this, because Zyndromon approached him,

"No pizza puns now" she said fiercely, "Let's begin the end... Leviathan Twister!"

Water appeared out of the ground below Veemon, and spun him around like a washing machine. He was quite dizzy when it stopped,

"Minerate!"

Some grey liquid was shot all over Veemon. It stuck, and began to harden. He had to move around quickly, or he would stay a statue for a long time,

"Mode change to... Animal Mode!"

The minerating liquid was still there, but it took longer to harden in this mode.

"Meteor Strike!"

Veemon charged Zyndromon down, just as the grey substance hardened, giving Veemon a hard outer skin, but he could still move his limbs.

"Vee Laser!"

"Glow Curtain!"

Zyndromon shot Veemon's laser straight back at him, but he avoided it.

"Y-Laser!"

A Y-shaped laser shot out of Zyndromon's hand, it looked much like Veemon's own,

"Ziedrich Force!"

It was blocked. Zyndromon seemed to be more persistent that her sister and brothers, she attacked more fiercely and didn't run away as easily as the others.

"Vee Rush!"

Veemon smashed his strong head on Zyndromon, shattering the stone.

"Mode change to... Being mode!"

"Thunder Storm!"

Zyndromon summoned a massive dark cloud. It began to rain, and then, a massive lightning bolt smashed on Veemon's head. Zyndromon smiled, but, amazingly, Veemon was still alive, and ready for vengeance.

"Xantes Blast!"

Nine pods of light appeared on Veemon's chest in an X shape and united into one blue-white beam. It was much faster than the homing attack. The beam fired, looking much like Imperialdramon's Positron Laser.

Zyndromon teleported before the attack hit. It took Veemon a small while to realise what happened before, and he jumped into the empty stream, ignoring the pain from the sharp stones. He ran onto the empty viaduct, relieved from the sharp stones before, and ran to the large hole. Very carefully, Veemon peered over, and felt relieved at the sight. The other six were on a large panel below.

"YOU ALRIGHT?!" yelled Veemon,

"See, I told you" smiled Gatomon, and turned up, "YEAH! WE SAW WHAT YOU DID TO ZYNDROMON! ARE YOU OKAY?"

"I'M COMING DOWN!" called Veemon,

"NO! JUST GET TO THE OTHER SIDE!" called Gabumon, twice as loud, deafening everyone, "WE'LL MEET THERE! THIS PANEL GOES ALL THE WAY ACROSS!"

There was a loud rumbling noise, followed by the sound of crumbling stone.

"Nice one, Gabumon" snapped Biyomon, Gabumon's loud voice had apparently broken the already damaged bridge, and the pedestrian panel had broken away.

"What do we do now?" asked Elecmon,

"We climb down to the valley" answered Gatomon,

"No, actually we float down to the valley" corrected Armadillomon,

"Genius!" smiled Gatomon, "Okay, um, what about him?"

Veemon was still on the top layer,

"He's too far away for the spell to work" said Armadillomon, "And the spell only levitates, it can't lift us up"

"Darn!" muttered Gomamon, "When we get down there, Elecmon can send some signals, and we'll hope Cheemon finds us" he turned up and yelled.

"OI! JEEMON! WE'RE GOING INTO THE VALLEY! GO ACROSS AND COME DOWN, ELECMON'S SENDING SOME SIGNALS!"

"OKAY!" yelled Veemon back, and he ran along the bridge as fast as he could. He looked, and saw six digimon floating down to the valley.

Soon, Veemon was running down the steep slope, and in no time, he had reached the forest at the bottom. His allies were there somewhere. He heard Elecmon's signal, and ran towards it.

Veemon heard someone behind him, so he turned around and saw something that wouldn't make him smile. It was a green digimon that looked a lot like him in his animal mode, but he was furry, and his face reminded Veemon of someone unpleasant.

"Are you related to Kilhamon?" he asked,

"Unfortunately, yes, but I am not a Necromancer" assured the digimon, "My name is Aldumon, and I have been sent by Gennai"

He showed Veemon a pendant in the shape of Gennai's trademark, proving that his word was true.

"Sent by Gennai? What for?" asked Veemon,

"You need to learn something about the combination spell" replied Aldumon, "And Gennai asked me to tutor you"

"Tutor me?" repeated Veemon, confused,

"This spell is extremely important" continued Aldumon, "Eight certain types of digimon are required to do it. Holy, Ice, Wind, Water, Thunder, Earth and Fire element digimon and lastly, a dragon digimon"

"What do we need to do?" asked Veemon, getting the drift,

"I'm getting to that" said Aldumon, his tail thumping on the ground, "This spell leaves no opponents intact, even someone like Apocalymon could have been destroyed in one hit, but it needs work. Okay. What you have to do"

Aldumon turned around,

"The eight of you stand in a line, with you slightly forward. The other seven have to give you their elemental power, and then you shoot this in one beam. You need an elemental crystal to gather all seven elements in one go, but you can find that later"

"Why me?" asked Veemon,

"Because, only a dragon digimon can use the power" said Aldumon, "Believe it or not, dragons are the most powerful digimages of all. You have a lot of potential, Veemon, your power can do much"

"But what about the others?" asked Veemon,

"They are getting taught as well" said Aldumon, "In order to use the combination spell, you must learn to withstand the seven elements involved. I believe you have a weakness in water and ice?"

This was true. Veemon hated the cold, and water as well. He liked warm baths, but not horrible, chilly water pressing in on him like a cold wet wall.

"You're fine with thunder, fire and earth, but what about wind and holy?"

"What sort of training do I have to do?"

"As I said, you need to withstand the seven elements"

Veemon didn't like the idea of this at all,

"First, let's start off easy" said Aldumon, sitting a few metres away from Veemon, "I'm going to use lightning now, but it shouldn't hurt. Ready? Static Bolt!"

A lightning bolt struck Veemon, but it didn't hurt at all,

"Great, that's one out of seven" smiled Aldumon, "Now, Earth. Quake Zone!"

Veemon timed his footing so he wasn't being thrown about as much.

"Two out of seven" said Aldumon, "You're doing fine. Fire now, Flamestrike!"

The medium fireball barely did anything. This was going to get tricky from now on.

"What do you want to try now?" asked Aldumon,

"How about wind?" asked Veemon, ready for a gust.

"Very well, forgive me if this hurts" warned Aldumon, "Autumn Runner!"

Veemon braced as a strong gust of wind blew upon him. He tried to endure it, but it lifted him up and he was smashed against a tree.

"Oh, no, that needs improvement" exclaimed Aldumon, "Asura!"

Aldumon healed Veemon and he stood up, slightly dazed,

"It looks like you need help in that area" said Aldumon, kindly, "Do you want to try holy now?"

"Sooner or later" sighed Veemon, closing his eyes "Let me take it"

"Light Column!"

"I said, let me take it" said Veemon, a bit louder,

"I already have" smiled Aldumon, Veemon opened his eyes, "That's three done. We'll start training after lunch"

"Phew!" exhaled Veemon, "One last thing, are the others alright?"

"I assume they are" said Aldumon, "Arula's Bounty!"

Veemon blinked at this weird statement, but as he did so, food fell in front of him,

"Enjoy" said Aldumon, and retreated into the forest,

Veemon thought a lot about what was going on. Aldumon was indeed sent by Gennai, that pendant was genuine, but why was he so urgent about him learning the greatest spell in the world? Gennai wasn't like this when the humans were here. Maybe that's the reason. The humans were probably smart enough to come up with their own strategy, but now with only digimon who have been with humans in charge of stopping the Necromancers, maybe Gennai was being a lot more tutorial. Also, Veemon wondered about Aldumon. He was related to the Necromancers, but he seemed alright. Most other digimon with green fur and pointed ears would attack immediately and make a few puns about pizza too, but Aldumon was acting a lot like one of Davis's teachers, to a student apart from Davis of course. Veemon supposed that Aldumon was treated terribly by the five Necromancers and decided to be in league with Gennai for pay back.

And lastly, something occurred to Veemon. Aldumon said eight digimages were needed for the spell, but he knew of only seven, including himself. Who was going to be the eighth digimage? Aldumon returned.

"You ready?" he asked,

"Um, Aldumon, who's the Fire digimage?" Veemon asked quickly,

"Out there somewhere" said Aldumon, "But it is important you do this now, so you can perform the spell when you find him or her"

Veemon finished off his lunch, thinking about who could be the fire digimage. Agumon seemed likely, but he wasn't cursed yet, and he was stuck in the real world, away from the Necromancers. No others came to mind before he finished and prepared for the training.

Aldumon's training was very great. He would first make Veemon immune to the element used, then gradually release the defences. Soon, Veemon could endure wind and ice, but still had trouble with water.

It was getting dark, when something was coming into their clearing.

"Ah! Aldumon! My four legged brother" said a terribly familiar voice. Lorheasmon was there, apparently they knew Veemon was vulnerable without his allies, and took advantage by attacking more often.

"Go away" snarled Aldumon fiercely,

"Just as soon as I have both of your heads" said Lorheasmon casually, "Excelsior!"

He swung his sword and it shot a wave of energy sending both Veemon and Aldumon flying. Lorheasmon stepped forward,

"Ziedrich Force!" Both Veemon and Aldumon set up the barrier at the same time, and it glowed twice as strongly.

"Zantetsuken!" Lorheasmon attacked the barrier, and it shattered. Surely, they wouldn't stand a chance against an attack that would shatter two Ziedrichs in one blow.

"I see you haven't had the curse yet because of your cowardice" smiled Lorheasmon, "Accept the inevitable!"

He raised his hand, and Aldumon was cursed.

"Ha ha ha!" laughed Lorheasmon, "Now, we're all even"

"What?" spluttered Veemon, "Are you all cursed too?"

"Of course, how do you think we got our powers?" asked Lorheasmon, "Kilhamon cursed you so we wouldn't have Imperialdramon on our backs, but I think Kilhamon blundered in that field by cursing a dragon"

"Why am I suddenly special just because I'm a dragon?" asked Veemon, cynically

"Silence, pathetic rookie" thundered Lorheasmon, "I am just stating that you have benefited from the curse as well as we have. But also, when I strike you down, you will not come back. Remember that neither Gatomon or Elecmon are here to revive you, speaking of Gatomon, I believe that you have a crush on her"

"Shut up!" barked Veemon, "Xantes Blast!"

Lorheasmon merely laughed at the attack.

"Oh, dear, not even your master spell made a dent against me" he sniggered, "Witness mine! Zantetsuken!"

Lorheasmon leapt forward, his sword glowing black, aiming at Veemon's neck.

"Ziedrich... Force!" Aldumon set up a barrier, and it shattered, but it did stop Lorheasmon's attack.

"You irritate me like a flea" said Lorheasmon, "And a flea within armour is no laughing matter. Have at thee!"

Veemon winced as Lorheasmon attacked. Aldumon was no sight to be mentioned here,

"And now for you" smiled Lorheasmon, raising his blood stained sword, "Zantet..."

"VEE COMET!"

Veemon's less effective attack did indeed do damage. Lorheasmon was winded,

"Here, take my power" whispered Aldumon, "...Aura...aah"

Just as Aldumon lay still, Veemon was surrounded by golden energy. He suddenly felt strong, too strong to just stand there. Energy spiralled around him, and a sort of blade appeared in his hands.

"You're not the only one with a sword!" he snapped, "And I've had plenty of practise too!" as Imperialdramon in his Paladin mode, this was true, Veemon had once handled a sword, but that was DNA digivolved with Wormon, and he forgot about it, but he attacked anyway, "Zweihander!"

Veemon attacked, and this was an attack to be witnessed. The weird blade glowed a different colour each time he struck Lorheasmon, who teleported away in about the ninth hit. Veemon's blade faded into air.

"Aldumon, are you okay?" asked Veemon, running up his wounded friend. Aldumon didn't answer. Veemon stood up, and left the clearing. Aldumon's energy was still alive inside him, and he was looking for a Necromancer to beat up. Soon, he ran out of the forest, and followed Elecmon's signal. They were near a long bridge in the horizon. Veemon ran toward it, but on the way, something did turn up, but it wasn't a Necromancer, it was a red digimon with no legs, evil crescent eyes, weedy hair and had two tentacles with battering clubs at the ends.

"I know you" frowned Veemon, "You're Redvegiemon!"

"No kidding" smiled Redvegiemon. He had defeated Veemon in their last encounter, but that was way back when the Digimon Emperor was using dark rings.

"And I'll make dragon soup out of you" sneered Redvegiemon, Veemon rolled his eyes, he hated his cooking puns, "Digivolve to... Ochumon!"

Ochumon was an Ultimate level digimon, who was lime green, had a very loud coloured flower around his neck, a large mouth, four thick stems as legs, and had tentacles with massive clubs at the end.

"Quake Zone!" Ochumon stomped on the ground, and it vibrated violently. Veemon just timed his footing and wasn't affected.

"Fire Wall!" Veemon created a massive wall of fire around Ochumon, and it ignited him.

"Ochu Dance!" Ochumon shook violently, and black pollen rained down on Veemon. His vision was impaired, and everything turned dark.

"Epsilon Storm!" Veemon shot beams in every direction, but none of them hit. Veemon tried again, but,

"Hey! Stop!" called a familiar voice. Veemon stopped his attack, that was Gomamon yelling. He heard the sound of a large object moving away, Ochumon was retreating, meaning most likely Gomamon was with everyone else.

"Are you alright?" asked Elecmon,

"I can't see" wailed Veemon, "Where is everyone?"

"Calm down" said Gabumon, "We're going across the hundred mile bridge, maybe the other Necromancers are there"

"What about my eyes?" asked Veemon angrily,

"Err, we can't fix them yet" confessed Elecmon,

"Why not?"

"Because... our energy is all used up. We fought Shamonesmon, and we won, but only just. Sorry, we had to heal everyone, maybe in an hour?"

"Aw! Great!" huffed Veemon, "Can someone give me a hand?"

Will the Necromancers exploit the digimages' maladies and exhaustion? Will they be able to cross the hundred mile bridge? Who will be the eighth digimage? Find out in Chapter 11 of Attack of the Necromancers.


	11. A Visit to the Dark Castle

CHAPTER 11 - A visit to the Dark Castle

**CHAPTER 11 - A visit to the Dark Castle**

Gabumon and Armadillomon helped Veemon, and they slowly went over the hundred mile bridge. Once on, they heard sinister laughter.

"Not again?" sighed Gatomon, "Gawd, we need to finish those (Gatomon's word to describe the Necromancers was so harsh that everyone stared)'s off, I'm so sick of their blasted laugh!"

"Don't worry, you won't hear the laugh again when I'm finished with you" sniggered Bardmon, "Demise Roulette!"

Bardmon threw his baton, and it spun, the slowed down, and started pointing to individuals. Gomamon, Veemon, Biyomon, Gatomon...

"Hiyah!" Armadillomon kicked the baton off the bridge, and it floated on the water.

"Ah well" sighed Bardmon, "I'll have to find another way to kill you all..."

"Aurora Solstice!" Gomamon threw a ball of light at Bardmon. It hit, but Bardmon began his nasty laugh, and held up a white cloth.

"This is nastily familiar" commented Biyomon

Bardmon threw the white cloth over Gomamon. The poor creature emitted a light beneath the cloth, and the cloth disappeared, leaving a small white creature that looked like Gomamon. Gabumon picked up the tiny Gomamon, and it emitted a squeak like a rubber duck.

"I've seen this before" said Gabumon, looking at the Gomamon squeaker, "Piedmon turned us all into key chains using this spell"

Piedmon was the Dark Master that the digidestined had fought seven years ago. He was a mega level digimon, and one of the most powerful.

"So generous of you to mention my cousin" said Bardmon, laughing.

"Piedmon's your cousin?!" spluttered Gabumon, Bardmon laughed,

"Of course, you fool" he smirked, "Everyone who shared my desire to conquer the digital world is considered my cousin" He threw another four cloths, leaving everyone except Veemon and Gatomon as various toys.

"Oh, dear it seems I'm out of cloths" said Bardmon, "But you'll find a lot of other tricks up my many sleeves, for example, Magic Crush!"

Gatomon was attacked with a weird spell. It didn't seem to do any harm, but its effect was obvious later.

"Jovia Barrage!" Veemon was impaled with rainbow beams. He stood there, wheezing, in urgent need of healing. Gatomon tried, but nothing happened. Veemon fell on one knee, panting. Gatomon tried using her Holy spell, nothing happened.

"He's ruined my digimagic" she exclaimed,

"Yes, and there's nothing you can do" giggled Bardmon, "I love my job so much, gwahahaha!"

"XANTES BLAST!"

Despite being blinded, Veemon was still deadly. Gatomon ducked as Veemon shot powerful beams of light at Bardmon.

Bardmon disappeared in a whirl of cards and plastic tricks. Gatomon looked around the scene. Gomamon was a squeaking toy, Elecmon was transformed into a plastic figurine, and Gabumon was turned into a robotic toy. Gatomon picked up a small jewellery box, and opened it. Biyomon was on a slowly rotating stick, dressed in a tutu. She made no signs of life. Armadillomon popped out of a box, dressed in a jingly hat and his body was a paper spring. Gatomon ran back to Veemon, who was leaning against the gutter of the bridge.

"Who's there?" he asked. Ochumon's spell was still in effect, Veemon was still blinded.

"It's me" said Gatomon, "I can't use any spells, Bardmon's taken all my magic energy"

Veemon made incomprehensible noises of dismay,

"Come on, let's get to the other side of this bridge" said Gatomon, picking up the five digimon toys around her, and then helped Veemon walk. It was extremely awkward, but inch by inch, they walked across the hundred mile bridge. Neither of them made any objections, they proceeded gallantly onward. Around sunset, Gatomon couldn't possibly go any further, and she slowly let everyone lay down.

"Well, it's happened" she said pessimistically, "We're stuffed"

"No... don't... say... that" panted Veemon, "There... is... a... way"

"What?" asked Gatomon, "Tell me"

"Energy... heal... magic" muttered Veemon, "Called... Libra"

"Energy healing spell?" asked Gatomon,

"Libra" repeated Veemon, now looking extremely tired, "Elecmon... said... like... health... heal... but... energy... borrow... mine"

Gatomon tried to get more information, but Veemon now made no sense. He just lifted his hand.

'The spell called Libra heals magic energy, like the spell Asura heals health' thought Gatomon, 'And if I recover my energy, I can heal everyone else!'

Gatomon now felt happier. She held Veemon's hand, and he gave her some energy. Gatomon stood up, and concentrated.

"Libra" she whispered, and blue sparks gently flowed around her. She felt much stronger.

"Here" said Gatomon, her tail ring glowing, "Asura!" Veemon was surrounded with green and gold lights, and he stood up, fully healed.

"That's better" he said, dusting his back, "Wow, so this is the hundred mile bridge! Um, what's Armadillomon doing in that?"

Armadillomon had bounced out of his box again.

Gatomon dispelled Bardmon's spell, and Armadillomon was his normal self. Gatomon healed the others, and soon they were back to normal.

"Beemon, you're back" said Gomamon. Gabumon held his fist behind Gomamon's head and looked pleadingly at Veemon, who rolled his eyes.

The seven of them continued their journey into the night, the bridge stretching all the way to the horizon.

Once across the bridge, around noon, the digimages came across a ruined castle.

"That's Myotismon's old place" exclaimed Gabumon. Gatomon looked at it, scared,

"Let's have a look" suggested Armadillomon,

"Okay" said Veemon. He noticed Gatomon's face, "You'll be fine with us, Gatsh... I mean... Gats" he assured her, everyone laughed, "Shut up" he barked,

"It just brings back memories" sniffed Gatomon, "But I'll get over it"

"We don't have to" said Elecmon,

"No, I'm fine" sighed Gatomon, "Let's go"

Gabumon opened the door, and the seven of the walked inside. The roof had been damaged severely, meaning daylight flowed through, but the place still had that eerie feeling.

"Do you remember anything interesting around this place?" asked Gomamon,

"Yes" sighed Gatomon, "His old library, there were some good books there, but a lot of bad ones as well. I've sorted them out a lot, so things should be fine"

Gatomon led them all to Myotismon's study. The way was intact, and they made it in one piece. Gatomon told them to find a book, but not to open it until she knew it was safe.

"What's this?" asked Gomamon, and picked up a book with a bat on the cover. He opened it, and a swarm of bats flew out. Biyomon dropped her book in surprise, and added a high pitched scream to the confusion. After everything settled down Gomamon read one about Aurora digimagic, Elecmon found one about advanced healing, Biyomon was interested with a book about mega level bird digimon, Gabumon found one about mode-changing, Armadillomon read one about Ultimate spells, and Veemon was transfixed with one about Dragon digimon.

"Dragon digimon are the most powerful digimages... blah, blah, blah... all naturally poor swimmers... hate cold... fire element common..."

So that was why he sunk like a stone in water. The curse had strengthened the dragon power inside him, which was why he was protected against Fire and Lightning, but hated water.

Gatomon read too, then glanced at Veemon,

"You don't look much like a dragon" she pointed out, "Aren't you supposed to have leathery wings and big scales and breathe fire?"

"Hey, give me some credit, Gats!" objected Veemon, "I've got some dragon stuff, like claws and a horn..."

"Oh, that little thing" sighed Gatomon, noticing the tiny horn above Veemon's nostrils. She turned back to the book, "Fight very fiercely... what? Aggressive? What a load of kitty litter!"

"Well, the high level dragons are" explained Veemon,

"Yeah, to be honest, I didn't like Exveemon much" said Gatomon, "Sure, he had muscles, but didn't have half a brain cell, just knew about fighting" she exhaled, "While I'm at being honest, I prefer it when we don't digivolve, it's much better fighting in one form, addressing each other with one name..." she paused, Veemon awaiting something good,

"Gats, take a look at this" called Elecmon. Gatomon walked over, and was soon very interested in a chapter on protecting from death spells. Veemon resumed his reading, muttering nasty things about Elecmon because of his interruption.

"Dragon digimagic, okay" he thought to himself, "Can learn any spell in the digital world... wow! But only a few have managed, hmm, Ultimate spell is... Dragon Eclipse"

Veemon read the chapter on Dragon Eclipse, while Gomamon had found a chapter on his Ultimate spell,

"Solar Squall, uses the power of the sun to destroy using all the elements"

Biyomon found her Ultimate spell,

"Star fighter, user flies at light speed to really pulverise bad guys"

Gabumon wasn't very successful in finding much about mode changing, so he read about time digimagic instead,

"Can even turn back time? Wow, I need to learn this"

Armadillomon found something of use,

"Orion's Belt... Ultimate spell, very interesting"

Soon, the sun began to set, and Gatomon shook everyone out of their stupor,

"Hey! We've got to get out of here before sunset!" she called, making everyone jump, "Weird stuff happens at night, you know Myotismon"

They ran out of the castle, and all groaned as they saw no other than Bardmon.

"I'll get you this time!" called Bardmon, "We can team up too!"

"Zantetsuken!" Lorheasmon slashed through the digimages while they were paying attention to Bardmon. Everyone's reflexes saw them right, but when they turned back to Bardmon, Shamonesmon had arrived.

"Blood Blaster!" Shamonesmon shot an evil red beam through the allies, but they avoided it,

"Halleway Flare!" Bardmon attacked, shooting his massive beam,

"Flamestrike!" Zyndromon shot a fireball at the allies. It was time for their reply,

"Neutron Passage!" Biyomon spiralled toward Lorheasmon, and left a glowing passage behind her. Elecmon fired lightning into this passage, and it travelled along like a railgun. Lorheasmon was fried.

"Antarctic Blizzard!" Gabumon and Gomamon shot a blue wave at Shamonesmon, and it had a massive effect. Shamonesmon was quite hurt before she teleported away,

"Harmonic Resonance!" Armadillomon (who had mode-changed to his steed mode) and Gatomon had a very good combo attack, they shot a holy beam at Zyndromon, and she writhed in pain as it flowed through her. She teleported of course, leaving Bardmon and Veemon to have their say.

"Halleway Flare!"

"Xantes Blast!"

The two beams clashed, creating a massive explosion, Bardmon decided to start a frontal assault,

"Jester Attack!"

Veemon had quite a job avoiding Bardmon's attack. He was performing tricky moves and moving tricks, and soon the blue dragon was very tired, but he hung in there, and retaliated. It was Bardmon's turn to avoid Veemon's assault this time, but still, not a hit was made.

"Epoximise!" Bardmon shot yellow liquid at the ground below Veemon's feet, and it made him stick fast. Bardmon was about to take the clear shot before...

"G-Cross Freezer!"

Gabumon remembered being the mighty Metalgarurumon, and had used the mega level attack. A massive blue beam shot from his horn and went right through Bardmon,

"Before I go, I have this" called Bardmon, and threw an orb at Gomamon. It did explode, but only like a small firecracker,

"Xantes Blast!"

Bardmon teleported before Veemon's attack hit.

"Soon we'll get you" promised Veemon under his breath,

"Err, there's something wrong with Gomamon" called Biyomon. Everyone gathered around Gomamon, and noticed he was very groggy and didn't have his normal confident smile,

"What's the matter?" asked Gabumon,

"Nothing's wrong" said Gomamon, in a level tone,

"You're not yourself" pointed out Elecmon, Veemon had a knotty idea, but he supposed he needed to try,

"Shandy shold shee shells by the shee shore!" lisped Veemon. Everyone giggled, except Gomamon,

"Well, that proves it" concluded Armadillomon, "It looks like Gomes here has lost his sense of humour"

How will the digimages return Gomamon to normal? Will they be able to learn their High Mage techniques? What other surprises lay around Myotismon's castle? Find out in Chapter 12 of Attack of the Necromancers


	12. The Journey Continues

CHAPTER 12 - The journey continues

**CHAPTER 12 - The journey continues **

"Gomamon's lost his sense of humour" repeated Veemon blankly, "That's a bit below the line isn't it?"  
"Bardmon's a freak" stated Gatomon, "He does those weird things just so he can be entertained"  
"But what can we do?" asked Elecmon, "Gomamon's sense of humour is what keeps him going, he'll break down without it"  
"We'll try to make him laugh" concluded Armadillomon, "Maybe some comedy is just what we need"  
"Oh, great" muttered Veemon, looking grim,  
"Okay" huffed Gatomon, "We'll each go make our own skit, and then do it later on tonight" she broke off, giggling, "I've got the perfect thing. Everyone, you'll have to help me as well as making your own"  
"Alright" sighed Veemon. Everyone else left the castle plain except Veemon and Elecmon,  
"What can I do to sound funny?" asked Veemon,  
"Maybe you should tease your own lisp?" suggested Elecmon, "I'm not offending you or anything, it's just that might make Gomamon laugh"  
"Maybe" sighed Veemon. He had an idea, and wrote his skit down, grinning.

Later on that night, Gomamon was sat gloomily, facing the stairs to Myotismon's castle. The other six of the digimages got ready for their skits. Gatomon was on first, her idea was a funny game show, similar to the one she heard on the radio. She had Elecmon the host, and Gabumon introduced everyone. There were five little panels set up on the stairs.  
"You're watching A clue over here please... Please welcome your chairmon, Elecmon!"  
There was a little applause as Elecmon stood on the middle panel.  
"Yes, well another show... gawd, they go on forever don't they?" asked Elecmon, expecting laughs, "Oh well, let's introduce the teams. On my left, is Biyomon and Armadillomon, and on my right, Veemon and Gatomon.  
Everyone did a little pose as their names were read out,  
"Okay teams, our first game is called "To make a long story short" where each player says one word each to make up a story. The aim is to avoid a full stop, in other words, keep the sentence as long as possible. If I judge a full stop has been reached, you'll hear this noise..." he tooted a horn, "And the game also ends if I get driven to the edge of sanity, in which you'll hear this noise... Ecky Ecky Ecky Bookang Zoompai!" everyone sniggered, "Biyomon, can we start with you please. The theme is digivolving"  
"I" began Biyomon,  
"Think" continued Dillomon,  
"That" said Gatomon,  
"Digivolving" read on Veemon,  
"Is"  
"The"  
"Most"  
"Dumbesht... I mean Dumbest" said Veemon, everyone chuckled,  
"Way"  
"In"  
"Which"  
"We"  
"Fight"  
"Because"  
"Raindramon"  
"Is"  
"Just"  
"Gay"  
"Shut up!" snapped Veemon,  
"Actually" continued Gatomon,  
"That"  
"Is"  
"A"  
"Load"  
"Of"  
"Bollocks"  
"Because"  
"Veemon"  
"Gets"  
"A"  
"Big"  
everyone was sniggering, it was Gatomon's turn  
"Stimulation"  
"Around"  
"Gatomon"  
Elecmon tooted,  
"Full stop there" he said, "Start again, Veemon"  
"Armadillomon"  
"Is"  
"Quite"  
"A"  
"Dimple"  
"And"  
"Yet"  
"Strangely"  
"Strange"  
"Although"  
"Veemon"  
"Is"  
"Twice"  
"The"  
"Prat"  
"That"  
"Anyway"  
"He"  
"Is"  
"Also"  
"Good"  
"At"  
"Being"  
"Stupid"  
"Although"  
"Not"  
"As"  
"Stupid"  
"As"  
"He"  
"Is"  
"Now"  
"Gatomon"  
"Is"  
"Very"  
"Sweet"  
"Not!"  
"And"  
"I"  
"Don't"  
"Know"  
"Why"  
"She"  
"Likes"  
"The"  
"Stupid"  
"Blue"  
"Newt"  
"I do!"  
"Shut"  
"Up"  
"Veemon"  
"No"  
"Yes!"  
Elecmon tooted.  
"That wasn't a full stop" complained Biyomon,  
"An exclamation mark counts as a full stop" said Elecmon,  
"No it doesn't" pointed out Gatomon,  
"Look, in this game, any word resulting in the next word, being a non-proper noun, to begin with a capital letter counts as a full stop" argued Elecmon, "If you care to notice, below the exclamation mark is a little dot that looks a lot like a full stop"  
"But the rule says a full stop, not a line stop" said Veemon,  
"I'm sorry, my decision is final" said Elecmon, "Gawd, that didn't even make sense!"  
Everyone laughed. Elecmon was getting ready for the next round.  
"Finally" sighed Elecmon, "Now, let's move onto another round called questions to answers, in which the teams have to work out the question to the answers that I say. For example, if the answer is 'Because it was there', then the question is obviously why did Armadillomon go into the all-you-can-eat buffet?"  
Everyone laughed except Armadillomon,  
"Okay, this one's for you, Gatomon... Killing a fellow person"  
Gatomon paused, and answered,  
"What does Tai's singing remind everyone of?"  
Everyone laughed,  
"Well, you haven't heard him in the shower" shrugged Gatomon,  
"The question to your answer, Gatomon, is what is the definition of Murder?" said Elecmon, "Armadillomon, your answer is... one inch"  
"If Veemon had a rod, how long would it be?"  
Even Veemon laughed at that one.  
"Close. Your question was 'What is 2.54 centimetres equal to?'" said Elecmon, "Although that answer is also appropriate"  
"You couldn't resist that one could you?" asked Veemon,  
"Quiet now, Veemon, your answer is... horse manure"  
Veemon sneered at Dillomon,  
"What does Armadillomon like for breakfast?"  
More laughing, even Elecmon was snorting,  
"The question was... what do human gardeners recommend as fertilizer?" explained Elecmon,  
"Or..." added Gatomon, "What is the flavour of Gabumon's toothpaste?"  
"Biyomon. Your answer is... seven hundred wives"  
"Who can do the work of four million men?" asked Biyomon. Gatomon laughed heavily,  
"No, the question was how many wives did King Solomon have?" said Elecmon,  
"Are you trying to be funny?" asked Gomamon, who hadn't smiled once. Elecmon sighed, and left the stairs. Everyone else did too, but Veemon remained, and picked up the microphone.  
"Err hi" he said awkwardly, "I'm Veemon yes you all know that. You also know that once I had a very embarrassing lisp. Doesh thish jog your memory?"  
Gatomon smiled slightly,  
"Here's a few stories about it. One day at school, the teacher asked "Where's So-and-so?" and I said, "He's shitting over there", and that's one box of instant week detention"  
Elecmon sniggered, but Gomamon still didn't react.  
"I guess that's one way to use report cards, shit down"  
Everyone giggled,  
"One thing I hated was every time I was trying to be brave, everyone else thought I was a barber. For instance, "We need to shave Yolei"  
"Good luck trying, she'll probably snatch the razor and take your head off"  
Veemon swore he saw Gomamon's mouth twitch slightly,  
"This is a true story, starring Gabumon.  
"Veemon, what are you doing here?" Veemon made an accurate impersonation of Gabumon,  
"I'm shaving you",  
"You're going nowhere near my hair"  
"I'm - Shaving... RRAAAGH"  
"You're getting really scary now, I'm getting out of here"  
Gabumon smiled as he clapped.  
"And the worst ever sentence I had to say was this one. "Sandy Sold Sea Shells By the Sea Shore" who made that sentence up? What sort of idiot would sell sea shells when they were lying all over the place? Especially when Samantha's horse Sallet swam slowly in the Mississippi to suck on sweet sugar Sam sowed?"  
Veemon took a deep breath, and repeated his last sentence in his lisp.  
"And the worsht ever shentenshe I had to shay wash thish one. "Shandy shold shea shells by the shea shore" who made that shentenshe up? What short of idiot would shell shea shells when the shells were lying all over the plashe? Eshpeshially when Shamantha'sh horshe Shallet shwam shlowly in the Mishishippi to shuck on shweet shugar Sham showed?" It sounded so ridiculous, that everyone except Gomamon was in fits.  
Veemon sighed, and left the stairs. Elecmon tried to make Gomamon laugh with a very funny song, about his weight. Biyomon and Gatomon were singing backup, smiling. Everyone was almost coughing up their dinner, but Gomamon still didn't smile. Gabumon also did a skit involving the dark masters that had found their way into Gennai's coffee supplies (just the idea of it got them sniggering), and finally, they got to make a final skit when they exaggerated themselves. Armadillomon sat out for this one, he laughed too much in reheasals. It started with all of them sleeping on the stairs, Gatomon waking up first.  
"Wake up everyone ya big bunch of bum-bags" yelled Gatomon. She was speaking in a rough and gruff voice that sounded very funny.  
"Aww, It'sh eleventy nine" moaned Veemon, who was speaking in a dull voice and had re-started his lisp.  
"I said wake up, Gabumon, you yellow bint!" yelled Gatomon, kicking Gabumon.  
"Ow, Gatomon, don't do that" complained Gabumon. Everyone on the stairs were smiling. Gatomon left, and then threw a fake grenade in the bed area of the steps. Everyone moved, and Elecmon had provided a bit of pyrotechniques.  
"When everyone was sufficiently awake" continued Armadillomon, "They got started on breakfast"  
"Hurry up, Biyomon, ya pink buzzard, I'm starving!" yelled Gatomon,  
"Tsa! Where's Armadillomon? He doesn't have to put up with this fink!" asked Elecmon, who was speaking like a pansy  
"I killed him" said Gatomon, "He called me a fink! What did you just say Elecmon?"  
"Tsa! Oh, nothing" said Elecmon, slightly scared,  
"So what are we doing today? Eheehee?" asked Biyomon, who was speaking in a high voice and giggled at the end of every sentence  
"Veemon, answer the blasted hag" barked Gatomon, Biyomon's eye twitched slightly,  
"I don't know, becaushe everywhere we go, we end up getting bored" moaned Veemon, "And then Gatomon gets ticked off, and killsh Armadillomon, then Elecmon has to revive him, and then he getsh ticked off, and yellsh at me, and then Gatomon yellsh at me, and then Gabumon tellsh them to shtop, and then Gatomon killsh Gabumon, and...  
"It's always about you Veemon isn't it?" asked Elecmon, "Tsa! I'm a poor little dwagon who is the only one in this little team who can actually do something stop make Bardmon wet himself!"  
"Elecmon, shut up ya girl!" yelled Gatomon, smashing a bottle over Elecmon's head  
"I'm not a girl, at least I wasn't the last time I looked" sniggered Elecmon  
"By the sound of it, you had a good look at it last night" said Gabumon. Everyone laughed,  
"Don't waste your time, Gabumon, he doesn't have one" said Gatomon, "Nobody does, it's a human thing, and if he did, you'd need a microscope to see it"  
"It's not the size, it's how you use it that counts" retorted Elecmon, leaning forward and leering, acting like a seven year old,  
"Yeah, everyone will little things say that" pointed out Gabumon, amid more laughter,  
"Tsa! Oh, why does everyone hate me?" asked Elecmon,  
"Because... you're a small, fat, red wuss!" yelled Gatomon,  
"I've got a porshe! Eheehee!" giggled Biyomon, in a completely irrelevant tone,  
"Tsa! Is bwekfast weddy?" asked Elecmon,  
"Oh, dear, I've burned it! Eheehee!"  
Gatomon got out a baseball bat and pretended to smash it over Biyomon's head. She fell to the ground.  
"Veemon, get breakfast, and do it properly, ya pointy nosed bint!" snapped Gatomon, now turning red.  
Veemon stood up, and took the pan from Biyomon. It exploded,  
"Tsa! Oh, gweat!" pouted Elecmon, his hands on his hips, and screwed up his face, "Veemon, I hate you!"  
"It ishn't my fault" moaned Veemon, "I jusht touched the pan and it exshploded in my fashe and now Elecmon'sh getting ticked off at me, which I normally think ish very funny becaushe he talksh like a girl, but that normally ticksh off Gatomon, and she normally throwsh shumthing at me like a quantum dishplasher or a hand grenade..."  
Gatomon picked a second baseball bat, slowly walked up to Veemon, and pretended to bash him over the head. Armadillomon was meant to say something here, but he was laughing too hard.  
"Tsa! Oh, gweat, Gatomon, you've killed thwee people today. I wonder why I stay around with the likes of you! I should take a twain and go to the other side of the planet, then you'll be sorry for all the people you've killed because I'm not here to revive them when you kill them again!"

Gatomon was blowing up a balloon with a bike pump while Elecmon was complaining, it was a third baseball bat.  
"Yeah, and while Lorheasmon is sticking your head on a spear, I'll be studying astwo physics and get a gweat job! Yeah!"  
Gatomon bashed the bat over Elecmon, looking very funny. She sat back down on the stairs.  
"I'm bored now" she snapped, "Gabumon, can I kill you?"  
"No, I'm washing my fur" said Gabumon,  
"Can't I just kill you a little bit?" asked Gatomon,  
"No" said Gabumon,  
"Oh, bums to it!" barked Gatomon, "Hang on, I'll just revive them, yeah, that'll do"  
"You work that out with your own head?" asked Gabumon, "Wow, so it's not damaged by the kites that flew into it"  
"Gabumon, you fat yellow zebra-unicorn hybrid" said Gatomon, "You shut your mouth, or I'll get Biyomon to give you a thirty minute lecture"  
"Shutting up" said Gabumon, quickly,  
"Hey, that's not fair" objected Biyomon, sitting up, "This is stupid!" she left the stairs,  
Gatomon pretended to revive everyone,  
"Ugh, where'sh Biyomon?" asked Veemon,  
"She buzzed off, but who cares?" asked Gatomon, in a rough voice, "Now, will one of you get breakfast... or will I have to dicept the lot of you?"  
"I'm getting it" moaned Veemon, and touched the pan. It exploded again,  
"Here, Veemon, I'll show you how it works". Gatomon stood up, snatched the pan, and forced Veemon's head in it.  
"Tsa! Oh, Gatomon, you're so cwabby today aren't you?" asked Elecmon,  
"Shut up, ya girl" snapped Gatomon,  
"Is it... that time of the month?" asked Elecmon, smirking nervously, "Assuming you are a girl of course, I mean, you don't even have bits do you?"  
Gatomon stormed over to Elecmon, and smashed the frypan on his head, not bothering to act.  
Finally, Gomamon laughed, falling off his seat and rolling on the ground, crying with mirth. Just as well too, because Elecmon was dazed from the frypan and forgot his next line.  
"Wow, I didn't know you fellas were that funny" laughed Gomamon,  
"And we're never doing that again" panted Elecmon, as Gatomon healed his injury, apologising.  
"You wouldn't believe how hard I tried not to laugh, but that was just too good" smiled Gomamon. Everyone glared at him,  
"You... were faking?" asked Biyomon, turning red,  
"No I wasn't!" laughed Gomamon, "Haha! Your faces!"  
"Yup, that's Gomes for ya" commented Armadillomon, "We should head on now, maybe the walk will stop my stomach twitching"  
Everyone looked at Biyomon,  
"What?" she snapped,  
"Aren't you going to ask what we're doing now?" asked Gomamon,  
"You did just then" pointed out Biyomon. They turned to Veemon,  
"Um, we can't hang around here, that's for sure" he thought aloud, "Wish we had a map"  
"Ah, planned ahead there too" smiled Elecmon, unrolling a map he found in the library.  
"Trouper!" smiled Gatomon, walking over,  
"There's a friendly looking place at the side of a lake to the east" said Elecmon, looking at the map,  
Gomamon looked at the map,  
"That's Digitamamon's joint" he exclaimed, "That place is anything but friendly"  
He and Gabumon had very bad experiences at Digitamamon's restaurant during Myotismon's first conquest. He had made Matt and Joe work there to pay off their eternally long debt, and at the end, Weregarurumon got them out fine. Digitamamon was an egg digimon with a transylvanian accent, a bad temper and Ultimate attacks, but since the digimages had dealt with digimon capable of destroying Wargreymon with a single blow, this time around shouldn't be as bad.  
"Do we have any money?" asked Gatomon, "Just in case we want to eat there?"  
"No" sighed Veemon, "But we could get some stuff out of this place tomorrow and try to trade"  
"So we're sleeping here tonight?" asked Armadillomon, "Fine, but I'm keeping away from the castle"  
"I'll keep guard" said Gatomon, "I'm not tired, follow me, I know this place like I know my claws"  
Gatomon led them to a clearing with soft ground and a decent view. She jumped on a rock and looked around,  
"Gats' really changed too" whispered Gomamon, he was pretending to sleep but really wanted to talk to the others,  
"How was she before?" asked Elecmon,  
"Gats was a bit of a rebel before, but she was always in the front line, and made wise choices" described Gabumon,  
"I don't think she's changed that much" said Veemon,  
"Yes she has, she likes you now, and that's a change if I ever saw one" smiled Gomamon, the others sniggered, "Seriously though, Gats used to just act like a big sister to us, you know, walking around in her champion form, but now that we've all caught up, she's getting, I don't know the word, um..."  
"Nice?" asked Gabumon,  
"Yeah" nodded Veemon, "She used to avoid our company because, you know, champion-rookies, but now that we're all on the same level, Gats' really opening up to us"  
"Has she asked you out yet?" asked Gomamon cheekily,  
"Well, no, but... Hey at least I can get her to like me, what about you, Gomes? You just talk to Biyomon and she slaps your fashe... I MEAN FACE!!" he growled, everyone was snorting,  
"I didn't think it was possible for someone to drown just by looking at water, but since you came along, Aeemon..."  
They all fell asleep when Gatomon jumped to a rock closer to them, and couldn't speak anymore.

The next day, Gatomon got a bucket of water and threw it over the lot of them. It was very cold,  
"AAH! GATS!"  
"Stop wining" smiled Gatomon, "We've got no time to lose today, we get the stuff and go to the lake"  
"Ugh, even my tail's going blue!" moaned Gomamon,  
"Oh, shut up! Veemon's not complaining and he has no fur" pointed out Gatomon,  
Veemon's teeth were chattering so much, nothing could come out. Even his white stomach was turning as blue as his face.  
"Do we go, or do we sit here and winge?" asked Elecmon. He had dried off by zapping himself,  
Slowly, all the digimages walked, shivering inside the castle, and followed Gatomon into the treasure room.  
"Nice my foot" muttered Gomamon to the others when Gatomon was out of earshot. The way was intact. Once there, they met up with a guard, named Xavemon,  
"Who is that?" growled Xavemon. He was five feet tall and carried an impressive looking halberd, "Oh, hi Gatomon, what are you doing here? And what are you doing with rookies?"  
"Stone Time!" Gabumon stopped the scene, and Xavemon froze, with his mouth open.  
"Thanks, that could've got ugly" said Gatomon, "Let's go in, Xavemon was strong enough to be the only defense to the vaults. I suppose he still thinks Myotismon is alive... um, still here"  
Gatomon broke off, looking down slightly,  
"Don't worry, Myotismon wouldn't stand a chance against us!" Armadillomon said proudly, slashing the air, "Now let's get some loot!"  
He ran into the vault passage, everyone followed.  
"Okay, Gats, where's the stash?" asked Gomamon,  
"Men and money" muttered Gatomon under her breath. She twiddled a wheel, and opened a door. The vault was full of round gold coins.  
"Wow, we could buy about fifty houses with this stuff" whispered Gomamon in awe,  
"Yeah, but money's useless without a trader" pointed out Veemon, "Just take what you can carry, we'll get the rest when the necromancers go"  
The seven of them could only manage a handful each, so Gabumon had no choice but to use his fur as a money bag. He moved nervously around without it on,  
"Come on, Gabba" said Veemon optimistically, "Having no fur isn't bad, fur's a pain if you ask me, it's too hot and itchy"  
"Hey, at least it gives us texture" retorted Gatomon,  
"I agree with Veemon, fur's a pain. Feathers are the way to go" said Biyomon cheerfully.  
"I envy all of you, if a flea gets into my armour, it never comes out" shuddered Armadillomon, "But on the bright side, nobody sees the marks... hint-hint Vemo?"  
"Aw shut up!" Veemon barked, automatically putting his hand over a recent flea bite on his side,  
Gabumon felt a bit better, and became less shy.  
They got the money out of the vault, and proceeded past Xavemon. Gatomon looked at him, almost sadly,  
"What's the matter?" asked Elecmon,  
"Can't we do something?" asked Gatomon, "Should we take a chance and resume him?"  
"I'll get the money out of sight first" said Veemon, "Meet you outside" he took the furry bag and ran up the stairs. Gabumon was wondering what would become of his fur in Veemon's care, the possibilities made him flinch.  
"Okay, stand in the same spot you were before" Gatomon told them. When they were in about the right spot,  
"Esuna Bless!" Gatomon made blue and gold lights dance around Xavemon, and black dust particles were witnessed leaving his body. This was an excorcism spell, Gatomon was ridding all of Myotismon's influence on Xavemon. Gabumon lifted the time stopper spell and Xavemon resumed. He had just asked Gatomon a question and awaited an answer, according to him,  
"Um, I've got some news" said Gatomon, "Myotismon... um... says we all have to go. The castle is being destroyed"  
"Whoa, then we must take haste" boomed Xavemon, and ran up the stairs, but paused,  
"Weren't you wearing fur?" he asked, looking at Gabumon,  
"No, it must've been Gomes behind me" answered Gabumon, in a confident voice. Xavemon wasn't nosy and didn't ask why Gatomon was in the company with five rookies. They followed Xavemon up the stairs, hoping he wouldn't find Veemon on the way. Once out the door, Xavemon was looking sadly at the destroyed castle.  
"I can't believe I was the last to know" he moaned, "He destroyed the castle and didn't tell me about it"  
"It's okay, Xavemon" said Gatomon soothingly, "Myotismon's gone far away, and won't come back for a very long time"  
"How long?"  
"Um, forever"  
"That's a very long time" exclaimed Xavemon. It was apparent that Myotismon had just told him to stand guard of the treasure vaults and that was that, no education, nothing.  
"Xavemon, we need your help" said Gatomon, getting to business, "There's these four digimon who want to destroy the world, can you help us?"  
"Well, I suppose so" sighed Xavemon, "I need something to do, but first, who are these rookies?"  
"You've been down there a bit too long I think" smiled Gatomon, "The old digivolving chart isn't in order anymore. We're all master level digimon"  
"Master?" asked Xavemon, "What's that like in the old scale?"  
"Higher than Mega"  
"Wow, what am I?"  
"You're Mage level, that's around Ultimate" explained Gatomon, "First, there's beginner, that's a bit stronger than rookie, then intermediate, which is champion, then mage, then maestro, sort of around mega then master and the highest is... high mage"  
"No duh" said Gomamon, shaking his head. They all introduced themselves to Xavemon, and they resumed their journey to the lake. Veemon was visible through the trees, the other digimages saw a blue flash every so often. Xavemon didn't notice, he was too busy asking Gatomon about the Necromancers.

"Hey, what's that noise?" asked Armadillomon. Everyone stopped talking and listened. They heard a familiar voice somewhere,  
"That's Izzy!" exclaimed Gomamon, "Hurry!"  
They found a television screen on the ground, which was common when the digital world was in distress. Gabumon, Biyomon and Gomamon remember seeing broken telephone booths, power lines, an old train carriage and a whole lot of other weird contraptions in the digital world in their fight against Devimon. On the television screen, was the face of Izzy. His eyes widened when they stood in front of it.  
"Wow, this is so great!" he exclaimed, "I've really hacked through Bardmon's defense this time, we can come back!"  
"That's great" said Gatomon. This was a gate from the digital world to the real world, and communications could be made.  
"Are you all there?" asked Izzy,  
"Yeah" answered Elecmon,  
"Hang on, where's Veemon?"  
"Here"  
Veemon joined them, panting. He still had the fur, it was nearly empty.  
"I'll tell the others" said Izzy, and he moved away from the screen to send some e-mails.  
"Where are the coins?" whispered Gatomon,  
"I traded them as change" answered Veemon, "Don't worry, it was Centurimon who I traded with, we can trust him"  
Gatomon was turning red, she almost had the impulse to kill Veemon on the spot, but picked up a coin. Instead of a '1' there was now a '5'. There was still a lot of money.  
"Had me worried for a moment" whispered Gatomon, "I keep forgetting you're not stupid anymore, thanks, this is a real help" and introduced Veemon to Xavemon who was eyeing him suspiciously.  
"Anyway, we've got enough to carry in something else now" said Veemon, "Here's your fur back Gabba"  
Gabumon put his fur back on thankfully, the breeze was starting to get very cold.  
"Aha! You did have fur before in the vaults!" said Xavemon, "And I'm sure I saw this blue reptile there too"  
"What does it matter?" asked Gatomon. Xavemon looked less excited,  
"Where did you get that money from?" asked Xavemon, as Veemon gave everyone five coins each to carry.  
"Earned it" said Veemon confidently. This wasn't money from Myotismon's castle, so there was nothing logically wrong.

Xavemon turned back to the screen, still suspicious. Izzy returned, as did a lot of other people. Davis was there, as was all the other digidestined, and their digimon still in their in-training forms (except Patamon).  
"Let's try it out" said Davis, "Digiport Open!"

There was a flash of light, as well as confusion. When everything settled down, the humans were still in the real world, but their digimon were transported safely, all now in their rookie forms.  
"You said you hacked through" TK told Izzy angrily,  
"Not enough for a human to get through" sighed Izzy, "Oh, well, we can still talk can't we?"  
For lunch and the afternoon, the humans and digimon were talking about what happened since their last encounter. Veemon and Davis had the biggest conversation, they hadn't talked since Kilhamon's second attack.  
"Wow, you can mode change now can you?" asked Davis, amazed, "Plus you can handle mega digimon by yourself?"  
Veemon nodded, grinning,  
"Anyway, what level are you now? I don't think you should be known as a rookie, because you almost finished off a mon that did finish off Wargreymon in one hit"  
"They're not mega digimon" said Veemon, "They're Master level digimon"  
Veemon told the humans all about the new digimon scale.  
"That's why Bardmon got me" sighed Agumon, "And in the new scale, you have to train slowly to advance, instead of digivolving?"  
"That's right" nodded Veemon  
"Hey, you've stopped lisping!" pointed out Cody,  
"He has too" smiled Hawkmon, "I see you've all prospered much since our last encounter"  
"That's what I was gonna do" huffed Matt, suddenly, "You guys need a bag or something don't you? Here"  
He transported a backpack through the gate. It came out in one piece, and Gomamon decided to carry it. Everyone put their money in the bag, gratefully.  
"Speaking of which, what do you digimon want to do? Stay there or come back?" asked Tai,  
"Watch out!" called Biyomon, "They're back!"  
The digimages groaned as the Necromancers returned,  
"Don't you have anything better to do?" called Gatomon,  
"There's nothing better than trying to get your heads on a plaque" answered Shamonesmon.  
"Arma, keep the others safe" called Veemon to Dillomon, who nodded and protected the other digimon. Veemon turned to Bardmon,  
"Come for another whipping?" he asked, "Fine! Proxima Screen!"  
Veemon shot a massive green wave at Lorheasmon. It blasted through him. All the able digimon and humans were flabbergasted,  
"What... was that?" asked TK, Davis was so shocked, his face was quite amusing.  
"Asura Striker!" Gatomon smashed into Zyndromon with a bright blue aura,  
"Wow, that's really amazing!" exclaimed Kari,  
"G-Cross Freezer!" Gabumon breathed a massive blue beam, and Shamonesmon was badly burned,  
"Gabumon! You're the Mon!" called Matt,  
"Aurora Solstice!" Gomamon threw a ball of aurora at Bardmon,  
"Is that Gomamon?" asked Joe, cleaning his glasses in surprise. The Necromancers Retaliated,  
"Halleway Flare!"  
"Trinity Ray!"  
"Demonic Fist!"  
"Excelsior!"  
The digimages defended,  
"Ziedrich Force!"  
"Moon Curtain!"  
"Shield Force!"  
The attacks were deflected, Izzy sipped his cola with great interest, the sight on the computer screen was amazing. However, the Necromancers were doing something big. They formed a line, and each one glowed a different colour.  
"Allegne Rays!"  
All the digimages were hit badly, except Biyomon who dodged the attack. She glowed orange, and used a spectacular spell.  
"Garuda Fence!"  
All the able and digimages were surrounded with one continuous ring of fire. The fire formed a gold dome, and soon every digimon was glowing yellow.  
"Whoa! What's this?" asked Agumon. He was transforming,  
"Warp Digivolve to... Wargreymon!"

The other able digimon were digivolving as well. Soon, they were in their top forms, but it didn't end there,  
"Stingmon! Use this!"  
Veemon threw a small blue ball of energy to Stingmon,  
"Okay, now DNA Digivolve!"  
Veemon's data helped Stingmon transform. Paildramon took his place. Davis and Ken were shocked. Veemon was still there, but so was Paildramon,  
"How is that possible?" asked Izzy,  
"Who cares?" asked Davis, "Mega Digivolve!"  
Paildramon transformed, and Imperialdramon took his place. Apparently, digivices could still operate at either side of the semi-open gate.  
Gatomon gave Aquilamon pink energy, too. Aquilamon changed into Silphymon.  
"Don't like your chances now do you?" asked Veemon, grinning,  
"Yeah, we'll see who's head's in a plaque when we're done with you!" called Imperialdramon. Every digimon in the area attacked, and the combined effect of their partners' digivices and Biyomon's Garuda fence enabled them to use their overdrives.  
"Zweihander!"  
"Escro Solstice!"  
"Apsley Maelstrom!"  
"Liandri Ray!"  
"Northern Lights!"  
"Terrestrial Chaos!"  
"Terra Force!"  
"Positron Laser!"  
"Static Force!"  
"Horn Buster!"  
"Flower Cannon!"  
"Hallowed Ascension!"  
"Holy Axe!"

Most unfortunately, the four Necromancers teleported just before the attacks hit, but, all was not lost. That was the last time the Necromancers could teleport ever again, they were blown off course, and their teleporters were destroyed.  
"This is gonna clog my whole computer" exclaimed Izzy,  
All the able digimon changed back into their rookie forms.  
"We're staying!" they all called,  
"That's what you think!" said an evil voice. It wasn't the necromancers, it was the very digimon that haunted their nightmares for seven years.  
"Oh, no" whimpered Gatomon, "Anyone but him, this can't be real"  
"It is as real as it gets, Gatomon my old servant"  
Myotismon was back, and ready for action.  
"How can this be?" asked Kari, "We defeated him... three times!"  
"Digimon never die" stated Myotismon, "And most sing the same tune, if you get what I mean"

**How did Myotismon return? What will happen in this encounter? Will the digimages and allies ever make it to get some food? Find out in Chapter 13 of Attack of the Necromancers**


	13. Fight through the night

**CHAPTER 13 - Fight through the night**

Myotismon sneered at all the destined digimon in front of him, the humans pushing each other out of the way on the television screen. The forest canopy was so thick, it was like night.  
"He looks different from last time" exclaimed Gabumon, "But we'll defeat you again"  
"I too have learned the secrets of Mode change" said Myotismon, "Witness this! Mode change to... Omicron Mode!"  
Myotismon transformed. Instead of looking almost human, he now looked like a blend of Devimon and Apocalymon, without the doomsday pad.  
"Maxima Blast!"  
Seven strange symbols appeared on the ground. They each set off a different coloured light, and they united in the air, then destroyed the symbols. The fragments spiralled inward toward the digimon, and finally, exploded.  
Everyone was on the ground. The gate was destroyed, and the digimon, none were moving.  
"Ha ha ha!" laughed Myotismon, "Such ease is my work"  
"You'll... never... win"  
"What?"  
Gatomon was still standing. A triangular shield was in front of her. She glared at Myotismon.  
"Why do you still stand Gatomon? Your friends are dead, and you have no chance against me"  
It was a wonder that Myotismon spoke so confidently, if Gatomon was staring at anyone else like that, they would run away to the other side of the world, and not turn back.  
"Hmm. You are indeed strong Gatomon, but you must be finished. Grisly Wing!" Myotismon shot a cloud of bats at Gatomon, but...  
"MAGIC LIGHTSTORM!"  
Despite being hit with an apocalyptic explosion, Gatomon still attacked, and emitted a blinding light, which destroyed the bats. She shot the light, and it appeared to be millions of tiny beams, like in Veemon's Epsilon Storm. The light surrounded the scene, and every single beam hit Myotismon. He made one final shout, before being destroyed.  
Gatomon looked around the scene. All of her friends were probably dead. A tear fell out of her eye, and rippled on the ground. The ripples covered the whole area, as though it was a large pond. All the digimon emitted a light, and stirred. Gatomon had saved them all.

"Wow, Gatomon, I didn't think you could do that" called Elecmon,  
"Do what?" asked Tentomon,  
"That was Angel Descension, a technique that revives all digimon in the area" explained Elecmon, "We read about it in Myotismon's library"  
"Ugh! I never want to hear that name again!" yelled Xavemon, "I served him for so long, and I regret every second!"  
"It's alright" soothed Gatomon, "He's gone for now"  
"Where were you going anyway?" asked Patamon,  
"Digitamamon's restaurant" answered Biyomon. Hawkmon didn't like that idea,  
"That's the only point of civilisation around here" shrugged Elecmon, "Maplehurst is three days away"  
"Yeah, and we're running low on food, so it's kinda important" added Armadillomon.  
"Have you got any digidollars?" asked Hawkmon. When he last entered Digitamamon's restaurant, the vindictive manager had said that Yolei's real money was fake, and that he only accepted digidollars. They were saved when Mimi and Michael from USA had entered the place and shouted everyone the meal, but Digitamamon was caught with a dark spiral and attacked them, so Hawkmon armour digivolved to Shurimon and got him back to normal.  
"Yeah, heaps" said Veemon, holding out the coins. Hawkmon inspected them in a slightly paranoid way,  
"Um, my arm isn't a crane"  
"Sorry" said Hawkmon, and resumed the journey, "They're fine"  
"Why were they sick?" asked Gomamon. Nobody laughed,  
"So, anyway, when can we beat those guys up?" asked Patamon, "We can digivolve without digivices now, so we can help"  
"They don't normally attack twice in the same day, but there's a first time for everything" shrugged Elecmon,  
"How have you fellas been doing?" asked Agumon,  
"We're quite frankly gutted" huffed Gabumon, "We had it easy a bit after Lorheasmon attacked when we left the mansion" Gomamon and Armadillomon coughed loudly here,  
"But we were split up by Shamonesmon. Gatomon, Biyomon, Armadillomon and myself went through some mountains, and the others went through a marsh and had it tough"  
"What happened?" asked Wormon,  
"We almost drowned, nearly had out heads cut off by Lorheasmon once again, we had Fastitomon trying to twist our ears off, and, ah yeah, these certain two bints decided to make a funny song" said Veemon crabbily,  
"Ooh, someone's crabby!" teased Agumon,  
"And you, Agumon, the very first thing you did when you hatched at Bardmon's was bite my nose!"  
"Are you still snippy at that?" asked Gatomon, laughing, "Come on, he was ten seconds old!"  
"That's no excuse" argued Veemon,  
"So, anyway" said Wormon, sweatdropping, "What happened when you regrouped?"  
"We found Wizardmon" answered Gatomon,  
"Wizardmon?!" spluttered Patamon, "But he was destroyed"  
"He got reconfigured" explained Gatomon, "Anyway, he helped us a lot with digimagic, despite the little masquerade that night" she glared at Gomamon, Agumon grinned, "And, that's when we discovered combination attacks"  
She explained about Veemon's and Gomamon's double attack on Bardmon. Everyone was impressed,  
"That's your equivalent of DNA digivolving isn't it?" asked Hawkmon, "We should consider doing the same"  
"Oh, dear, here comes trouble!" called Tentomon, pointing ahead. It wasn't the Necromancers, but it was cutting very close.

There were five digimon who had green fur, pointed ears, and had a foxlike appearance.  
"Who are you?" asked Gomamon, loudly,  
"We're cousins of the Necromancers" answered the fourth one, who was female.  
The middle Kilhamon look-alike was eyeing the digimon carefully, and his eyes widened when they rested on Veemon,  
"It's him!" he shouted. Everyone looked at Veemon,  
"What?" he asked indignantly,  
"You're the little bint who's been ruining Bardmon's plans" said the middle Necromancer supporter, "Prepare to be doomed! Digi Demise!"  
These guys were serious. All of them shot death spells in Veemon's direction. He blocked, but he couldn't hold on forever.  
"Biyomon, help us!" called Agumon, ready to fight,  
"Okay" said Biyomon quickly, "Garuda Fence!"  
All the able digimon digivolved to their highest forms, and retaliated to the Necromancer Supporters. It was an amazing battle, but the bad guys were turning the tables. They were able to copy the attacks thrown at them, and were soon coming out on top.  
"Positron Laser!" Imperialdramon fired his beam at the fifth, but she survived.  
"Terra Force!" Wargreymon threw a massive ball of fire at the second Necromancer supporter, and he was knocked down, but the fourth healed him quickly, and retaliated.  
"Positron Laser!" Number four fired Imperialdramon's laser at Wargreymon, and he was smacked down.  
"Terra Force!" Imperialdramon was blasted by Number three, and fell to the ground.  
"Copy this!" shouted Armadillomon, angrily, "Xerses Strike!"  
He slashed number two to bits, but number four revived him.  
"Athena Strike!" She also used Gatomon's attack to whack Armadillomon into a tree. This was terrible. The digimon had never fought against their own techniques before.  
"We'll use combos instead" called Gomamon,  
"Great Idea!" answered Veemon, "Get into teams!"  
Every digimon paired up, and attacked.  
"Frozen Crevasse!" Armadillomon created a massive fissure in the ground, and number three fell into it. Gabumon froze the fissure shut, and it began to close, crushing number three.  
"Athena Force!" Gatomon and Biyomon fired a pink sphere at number five, and she was instantly destroyed.  
"Fort Stormer!" Veemon ran and charged down number two. Then, Elecmon fired his Storm Beam at Veemon, electrocuting anything in contact with him, in this case, number two.  
"Aw, fine, leave me out!" snapped Gomamon,  
"Pipe down!" called Silphymon, "Gomamon, catch this! Static Force!"  
Silphymon threw a rose sphere to Gomamon, who caught it with one flipper, and made an Aurora Sphere in the other.  
"Magic Blast!" Gomamon threw both spheres at number one. They crossed, and made a massive explosion that blew everyone about two feet backward. When the dust cleared, number one had gone.  
Number four was quite scared. She was being faced by thirteen digimon, all ready to attack, but she still was ready to fight.  
"One step closer, and everyone gets destroyed!" she warned, holding a weird green sphere.  
"Fine, we'll talk" sighed Gatomon, "Who are you?"  
"I am a cousin of the Necromancers" said number four, "Bardmon has been constantly irritated by you good guys always stopping him from work"  
"What does he want to do anyway?" asked Elecmon,  
"None of your business!" barked number four, brandishing the green sphere threateningly. Apparently, it was a sort of bomb.  
"Why are you in such a hurry to finish Veemon off?" asked Seraphimon,  
"Because his power rivals that of Bardmon himself" answered Number Four, "Without him, our job will be much easier. We will destroy the other six of you easily and rebuild the worlds to our desires"  
"Why just them seven?" asked Lillymon,  
"Because, Kilhamon's foolish curse has bought them partial control over the digital world" answered Number Four, "Bardmon cannot do anything while you seven are alive"  
All the digimon grinned, the Necromancers were actually at their mercy for a change.  
"It ends now!" cried Number Four, raising the sphere, "Apocalyptic...!"  
"Nose Drill!" From absolutely nowhere, Drimogemon shot out of the ground, sending Number Four flying.  
"I did say I would come and help didn't I?" he called,  
"Magic Lightstorm!" Gatomon destroyed her. All the digimon changed into their rookie forms, and cheered.  
"Thanks a million, Drimogemon" thanked Gatomon, "You saved our hides"  
"Yeah, didn't I?" asked Drimogemon, enjoying the praise. Patamon heard something and hushed everyone.  
"What's that noise?" asked Drimogemon in the silence,  
"I don't like it at all" shuddered Palmon, "These Necrohuzzahs, they can't teleport anymore can they?"  
"It's not them" said Gatomon, surely, "That's... no... Oriomon!"  
"Who?"  
"Oriomon is a master level digimage" said Gatomon, "And he's very bad-tempered"  
"Who dares disturb my hunt?" asked Oriomon. He had white, glowing armour, a belt with three stars, carried a magic sword, and two nasty dogs were at his feet.  
"We didn't mean to" apologised Gatomon, "We're sorry"  
"You shall be!" snarled Oriomon, "Dimensional Gate!"  
A gate appeared in front of the digimon. Many of them were sucked in, but the digimages, Xavemon and Drimogemon remained. They had a glimpse of the real world through the gate. Their allies had disappeared once more.  
"Now for you" snarled Oriomon, "Steel Rain!"  
He jumped in the air, aiming a blow at Gatomon, but Xavemon knocked him off course,  
"Stardust Ray!" A beam of glittering light struck Xavemon, and he vaporised into data.  
"Angel Descension!" Gatomon collected the data back, and Xavemon reappeared, slightly dazed.  
"Oh, so you're a life digimage?" asked Oriomon, "Mute Blast!"  
Gatomon was hit with a weird spell. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.  
"That's it!" yelled Veemon, "Sun Beam!"

Everyone was amazed. Veemon's V rune glowed orange, and fired a fiery beam at Oriomon, roasting him,  
"Spectral Owl!" Oriomon help up his sword, and a pale white bird flew out. It attacked Veemon,  
"Skyscraper!" Xavemon performed a magnificent trick with his halberd and the owl disappeared.  
"Meteor!" Veemon used an interesting spell. The background glowed purple, with stars and nebula as backdrops. Meteorites began to crash down into Oriomon. This dealt a fair amount of damage, and it seemed to impress Xavemon.  
"Worthy ally," said Xavemon, addressing Veemon, "Let us try a combination attack"  
"That sounds good" nodded Drimogemon,  
"Yeah" agreed Veemon. Xavemon held his Halberd level with the ground, and Veemon held onto it. Xavemon flung him in the air, and then quickly attacked Oriomon, but Oriomon's dogs attacked him and Drimogemon. Oriomon laughed as the dogs mauled them both, but he didn't look up.

"Quake Zone!"  
Veemon crushed him with a huge attack, and Oriomon was destroyed, but Xavemon and Drimogemon were too. Gatomon tried to revive them, but she couldn't use the spell.  
"PANACEA!" Elecmon got her back to normal, but it was too late, Xavemon's and Drimogemon's data disappeared. Gatomon knelt down in distress.  
"It's alright" soothed Gomamon, "They weren't cursed, they'll come back one day"  
"It's my fault, I should've used Panacea earlier" moaned Elecmon,  
"It's nobody's fault" said Gabumon, "They sacrificed themselves to save us, a lot of others would do the same"  
Gatomon let tears flow slowly out, Veemon gripped her shoulder.


	14. Dips and Crests

**CHAPTER 14 - Dips and Crests**

The digimages reached Digitamamon's restaurant at around dusk. There were a lot of digimon there, but the digimages found two berths to sit in. Gatomon sat alone on one side, still upset.

"Weelcome... oh, it'z you" Digitamamon walked past, and greeted them, but his mood dropped right down when he saw Gabumon and Gomamon.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"We'd like some food" answered Armadillomon. Digitamamon muttered nasty things as he took their orders.

They had a nice meal, filled up some take-away bags for later, then the assisstant came around with the bill.

"BU-U-U! I'll pay" said Veemon through a large burp, "Gomes, can I have some money here?"

"Pig" muttered Biyomon.

"Moo" joked Veemon as he passed Biyomon. Gomamon gave him some money and he walked up to the counter.

"He's been around you too much, Gomes" joked Elecmon, "So, where do you think the Necromancers are now? They can't teleport anymore"

"Let's not think about them for now" sighed Gabumon. Gatomon was still upset about Xavemon.

"Okay, you lost any weight Elex?" asked Gomamon.

"Oh, a few ounces" sighed Elecmon, "Can you still look at a girl and get hit in the face?"Armadillomon sniggered.

"Hey, what do you mean you don't take digidollars?" Everyone turned around to the counter. Veemon looked quite angry. Digitamamon did too. Gabumon and Elecmon joined them.

"You come in heer with thiz play money?" asked the disgruntled egg.

"You accepted digidollars last time!" said Veemon loudly.

"Don't tell me that we were tricked again?" asked Gabumon, in a down tone, "You absolutely sure these are real?"

"As sure as the thing on my head's a V" explained Veemon, "Centurimon says they're real, Gatomon says they're real, Hawkmon says they're real... so they're REAL!"

"Weel, thingz turn around quite queekly in the digital world" said Digitamamon, equally loud, "And the digidollar collapsed last week, so pay up, proper money!"

Veemon slammed the correct amount of digidollars on the counter,  
"Take it or leave it" he barked, and turned to leave, "Come on"

"GET BACK HEER!" shouted Digitamamon, "You work for your pay now"

"Yeah, right. I earned this money, and I expect it to be used as money" said Veemon, "I ate, I paid, so I leave"Digitamamon got out from behind the counter.

"Veemon, don't do anything stupid" called Biyomon.

"You - work - for - your - debt!" snarled Digitamamon.

"Kiss - my - scaly - white..." Veemon told Digitamamon to do something so nasty, everyone in the restaurant stared, eyes popping at him. Even Gatomon glared at him, diverted from her memory of Xavemon.

"That doez it! Nightmare Syndromer!" Digitamamon shot a black ghost from his shell opening.

"Ziedrich Force!" Veemon blocked it.

"Hey! Stop it!" shouted Gabumon, "He paid, so you let us leave!"

"So, you want a challenge? You got it" snarled Digitamamon, and charged at Veemon, who dodged.

"Stone Time!" Gabumon froze Digitamamon in midair.

"Let's get out of here" he called, "Armadillomon, come on!"

Biyomon pinched Dillomon's winglike ear and dragged him from his seat. The seven of them left the restaurant, Gatomon still alarmed at Veemon's language.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

They stormed out of the restaurant, Gabumon preferring to leave Digitamamon frozen in time for his rudeness.

"Where did you learn to speak like that, Feemon?" asked Gomamon, impressed.

"And it's not white for your information" said Gatomon, bossily.

"How was I to know? I can't see it, just assuming stuff" shrugged Veemon, "Why, were you looking?" he added mischeviously. Gatomon turned around and hissed in his face.

"Don't ever say that again!"

"Say what?"

"You know what!" Gatomon hissed.

"Whoa, told" shrugged Elecmon, "You okay, Gats?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now" said Gatomon, still frowning, "I took a kitty bag, so I'll eat later"

"Aren't they doggie bags?" asked Gomamon.

"Not in my world they aren't" answered Gatomon, a bit strongly.

"I take it we're going to Maplehurst now" said Elecmon, changing the subject.

"May as well" sighed Veemon. Gatomon emitted a small 'Hmph!' and turned away.

"Someone's in trouble" muttered Gomamon, smiling.

"Gats, what's the matter?" asked Elecmon, "Is there something wrong with Maplehurst?"

"No, Maplehurst is fine" said Gatomon, "It's just... Elecmon, you know exactly why I'm angry! If you have to know, it's blue, had it's stomach dipped in milk, and has a mouth that is full of dirt"

"What about you, Gatomon?" snapped Veemon, turning around to face the white cat, "You think you can get away with almost anything just because you're a champion, plus your breath smells like fish guts!"

"At least I can actually catch fish" retorted Gatomon, "I'm not scared of water, but you just look at it, and you squeak like a Chuumon"

"So what if I'm afraid of water? At least I'm not scared of..." Veemon gave a nasty smile, "Oglomon"

Gomamon and Armadillomon were quite enjoying this tiff, and gasped at this sentence. Oglomon were one of the most pathetic and ugly digimon in the whole world.

"You - take - that - back!" snarled Gatomon.

"Excelsior!"

Of all the times to turn up, Lorheasmon had appeared. He swept everyone up in the air with a slash of his sword. Gabumon retaliated.

"Hyper Blaster!" Lorheasmon was impaled with orange energy. Knowing he couldn't teleport anymore, he had to attack and end the battle soon.

"Durah Attack!"

Lorheasmon launched into an amazing attack. He began a massive combination of trick swipes and real ones too, and soon everyone was down, except Armadillomon, whose armour had saved him.

"Mode-change to... Knight mode!"

Armadillomon stood up properly, and the armour on his arm sprung out, like a strange sword.

"Durah attack!"

"Shield Force!"

Lorheasmon attacked, but Armadillomon's defense was too great. Armadillomon attacked this time.

"Xerses Striker!"

Armadillomon's weapon made powerful noises against Lorheasmon's armour. Finally, there was the sound of grinding metal, and a large hole appeared in the armour on Lorheasmon's torso. He retaliated.

"Zantetsuken!" He cut Armadillmon's weird sword clean off, and finally prepared his finishing blow...

"Lightning Solstice!" A glowing ball of lightning appeared and struck Lorheasmon. Sparks flew out of his armour where it hit, the blast made Armadillomon's ears go weird, and Lorheasmon fell to the ground. He turned around, and saw Elecmon standing, looking very initiate. Lorheasmon stood up, decided what to do, then threw a black sphere at the ground. The sphere shot smoke, Elecmon and Armadillomon couldn't see anything. When it cleared, Lorheasmon had disappeared.

"Um, that was pathetic" commented Armadillomon.

"What does he know about honour?" sneered Elecmon, "Wow, Arma, that was neat!"

"Yeah, but I've lost it now" sighed Dillomon, looking at the shiny bronze blade on the ground.

"No problem" said Elecmon brightly, picking up the blade, "Hold it there"

. Armadillomon held the blade on its broken stump, and Elecmon held up his paw, emitting blue sparks. The blade reattached itself, and withdrew back into position

.  
"Elex, you're the best!" said Armadillomon gratefully. Elecmon smiled, and turned to the others, still on the ground. He revived Biyomon, Gomamon and Gabumon, but left Veemon and Gatomon.

"Let them cool off for a little while" he suggested, "We don't need anymore arguments"  
"Easy for you to say" grumbled Gomamon.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As a very great turn of luck, both Gatomon and Veemon suffered a bit of amnesia when they awoke around dinner. Elecmon was the first to speak to them when they awoke, and he turned everything around very effectively. Veemon got up first.

"Ugh, what happened?" he asked, Elecmon told him about Lorheasmon, cleverly avoiding the argument before.

"Um, did I have an argument with Gats?" asked Veemon, confused.

"No, you were dreaming" said Elecmon.

"How do you know?" asked Veemon, suspiciously.

"Because you were shouting stuff in your sleep" answered Elecmon. Veemon looked very awkward about this.

"What did I say?" he asked.

"You were saying that Gatomon's breath smelled like fish-guts and that she was afraid of Oglomon" answered Elecmon, Veemon turned red.

"She's still asleep, but she was a bit upset" added Elecmon. Veemon nodded slowly, and got up, scratching his nervously. Elecmon sat by Gatomon and waited for her to wake up.

"I feel terrible" she groaned when she woke up.

"No kidding" agreed Elecmon, "You had a terrible dream"

"Really? I can't remember what was real and what wasn't"

Elecmon told her about Lorheasmon, and did say that they had dinner at Digitamamon's restaurant. He didn't mention Veemon once.

"Um, did Veemon shout something to Digitamamon?" asked Gatomon

"What?" asked Elecmon, when Gatomon repeated what she heard, "I never heard that"

"You sure?" asked Gatomon, "It sounded real to me"

"Yeah, that sometimes happens in dreams" nodded Elecmon, "You were sleeping a bit hard, and Vee was a bit put down when you shouted that stuff about him"

"Did I?" asked Gatomon, alarmed,

"Yeah, you were tossing and turning, and then you shouted that if he looked at water, he'd squeak like a Chuumon, plus you said that his mouth is full of dirt" said Elecmon. Gatomon stood up right away, and went to apologise to Veemon.

"Easy" muttered Elecmon, smiling. Gomamon approached him, looking a bit down.

"Hey, you should have let me talk to them" he groaned. Elecmon chuckled very hard. If Gomamon had got to them first, they'd probably be having a downright roar at each other right now.

"Ah well, there's always next time" sighed Gomamon,

"How about you keep out of their business?" asked Elecmon, "You could be trying for Biyomon for all the time you waste on these fellas"

"I'm only joking" laughed Gomamon, "What makes you think I'm after Biyomon?"

"You asked her on a date after we left Bardmon's place" pointed out Elecmon. Gomamon laughed again.

"I just did that to make Keemon feel better" he explained, "I wouldn't go out with Biyomon if my life depended on it. Seriously, I'm glad that you handled that alright"

"Elecmon!" Veemon and Gatomon walked up to him, looking cross.

"What's the problem?" asked Elecmon.

"Isn't it a bit fishy that we both dreamed about having an argument and shouted the same things?" asked Gatomon.

"Well, you could have been hearing things in your sleep" said Elecmon, sweating slightly.

"That's bull" said Veemon, "You're not fooling anyone"

"Drop it already!" shouted Gomamon, "He was only trying to stop you two from biting each other's heads off! Can't you bury the hatchet and forget about it? We almost lost to Lorheasmon because you two were in the rut!"

"You're right" sighed Veemon, "Sorry I lost my temper"

"Me too" exhaled Gatomon, "I shouldn't be so crabby"

"Sorry I tried to tamper with everything" apologised Elecmon.

"No it's not your fault, it's..." began Veemon.

"Drop it!" said Gomamon sharply.

"But..."

"Drop iit!" smiled Gomamon

Veemon left, grinning, thinking this was too ridiculous. Gatomon ate the food in her leftover bag.

"Still, I don't think it's right for you to lie, Elexi" said Gatomon, later.

"Sorry" sighed Elecmon, "I won't do it again".Gatomon soon fell asleep.

"That's not like you at all" commented Elecmon, later on.

"Hah! I'm a good fella" shrugged Gomamon, eating the rest of Gatomon's dinner.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Since Gatomon decided to sleep in, everyone else did the next day. Veemon was starting to get irritated sleeping on hard ground every night.

"Aww, morning" yawned Elecmon, "Had a nice sleep?"

"No" grumbled Veemon, "Slept on an Antmon nest"

Elecmon flinched as Veemon stood up, his back covered in red sores, many of them with nasty green crowns.

"Can you do anything about it?" asked Veemon, raising his hand to scratch his back.

"NO!" shouted Elecmon, "I mean, I can, but don't touch"

"Can you hurry? It's agony"

"Panacea!" Elecmon made green light circle around Veemon, but the blue dragon's eyes widened in shock when he felt many bursting sensations on his back.

"Ugh! Gross!" complained Gabumon, who had woke up to Elecmon's shout, "Hold still, Vee"

Veemon felt quite sick as Gabumon wiped his back with Gatomon's old leftover bag. Gabumon showed him what was on the bag, a lot of green liquid.

"Antmon venom has to be removed" stated Elecmon, "Sorry"

"Um, alright..."

"Gabumon!". Everyone turned around, Biyomon was awake, and looked angry at something.

"I don't mind you attacking Veemon, but why did you have to attack his back?"

"I didn't" objected Gabumon. Biyomon walked up to them, and held her wing in a fist.

"Can I have a go?" she asked, aiming for Veemon's head.

"Get lost, Biyomon" snapped Veemon, he wasn't having a very good day.  
Biyomon re-ignited the fire, muttering while making breakfast. Elecmon cleaned up Veemon's back and they looked around for sticks for the fire.

"What really happened yesterday?" asked Veemon, holding a large bunch of sticks, "Who saved the day this time?"

"Arma did" answered Elecmon,

"Really?" asked Veemon, picking up some more sticks,

"They're supposed to be dry" pointed out Elecmon. Veemon examined his bunch, then dropped all but one of the damp sticks.

"Yeah, in his knight mode, he has a bit of a weapon" said Elecmon, "Armadillomon's got the most out of mode-change, wish I could do it"

"Ah, here's some dry ones" said Veemon, picking up a large bunch of sticks, "See ya 'round" he walked back to the fire. Elecmon walked around, not caring much for the sticks. He was joined later by Gabumon.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Why can't I mode change?" asked Elecmon.  
"Hey, it's not so bad" said Gabumon optimistically, "We don't use mode change much anyway"

"Yeah, but it's almost as good as digivolving" sighed Elecmon, "I was hoping, this time, I could experience what you fellas went through before with the humans, but..."

"I prefer it without the humans" said Gabumon, "Not ordinary life of course, because Matt, Tai, Agumon, the others, they're very good friends, but in battle, I can fight without shielding someone else. Do you want to digivolve?"

"I just want to know what it feels like" sighed Elecmon, "Oh, well, I'm stronger than a mega the way I am now" he exhaled, "Being on this team is the best thing that ever happened to me" Biyomon flew in the clearing.

"Elecmon, Veemon wants you" said Biyomon, "Something's wrong with his back"

"Okay" said Elecmon, and left the clearing. Biyomon took a deep breath.

"Gabumon... meet me tonight" she blurted out, and flew off.

"What was that about?" thought Gabumon to himself, "Oh, she's asked me on a date... wow!"

Gabumon was stunned by Biyomon's daring, then went to the fire, grinning.  
Once there, Gabumon saw a terrible event. Zyndromon had attacked again, and was in heavy battle with Biyomon. Everyone else was on the ground.

"Biyomon! Hang in there!" yelled Gabumon, "G-Cross Freezer!"  
Zyndromon dodged Gabumon's attack, then attacked him.

"Solomon Ray!" A massive orange beam shot out of her spear, and burned Gabumon severely.

"Althea Drive!" Biyomon attacked Zyndromon's turned back. Zyndromon turned around, and aimed at Biyomon, but she was too fast. Gabumon needed to do something, or else Biyomon would end up baked. He really did want to meet her that night, but any attack he made would just make Zyndromon finish him off, he couldn't stand another Solomon ray.

"Mode change to... Wolf Mode!" Gabumon glowed a light, and mode changed. He was now on four legs, had wild white-blue fur all over his back, now had two horns, and felt much more agile. He leapt in the air, and bit Zyndromon hard in her tail.

"OW!" she screamed. Gabumon pulled her out of the air, and smashed her on the ground.

"Demonic Fist!" Her attack had almost no effect. Gabumon put his claw to her neck, and she winced, but her face changed to a sneer.

"Excelsior!" Lorheasmon attacked Gabumon with his sword, cutting a large scar along his back. Zyndromon and Lorheasmon stood side to side, sharing the same evil sneer.

"You've mode changed!" shouted Biyomon, "Hang in there! I'm coming!"  
Biyomon landed next to Gabumon.

"Mode-change to... Sorceress mode!" Biyomon transformed into the weird bird-human digimon and stood ready.

"F5 Twister!" Biyomon whipped up a tornado around Zyndromon and Lorheasmon, and the two of them were thrown in the air.

"Hyper Blaster!" Gabumon fired orange energy at the Necromancers, who were helpless in midair. They landed far away in the forest.

"That was so cool" smiled Biyomon, "Now I know what it's like to have someone who cares so much"

"Thanks" smiled Gabumon, "Mode-change to... day mode!". He stood up normally, everything was the same.

"One thing" said Biyomon, looking nervous, "Can you call me Byz?"

"Why?" asked Gabumon,

"Well, you've all got a nickname, and it makes me feel left out" sighed Biyomon.

"Okay, then... Byz" nodded Gabumon, "As long as you call me Gabba"

"What are we gonna do about these then… Gabba?" asked Biyomon, looking down at Armadillomon. He wasn't moving, and didn't respond when Biyomon lifted his arm up and let it fall back down. Gabumon had finally realised the scar existed on his back, and was in no position to help. Blood was dripping down.

"Come on you guys" whispered Biyomon, urgently gently shaking Gatomon and Elecmon, but stopped after a minute.

She was wondering if she should talk to Gabumon now, but she eyed Gomamon suspiciously, he could be faking. She pinched his nose, he didn't do anything except turn blue, he was indeed unconscious, but they could come to anytime, plus Gabumon was in too much pain.

"Elex's bought something with him" said Gabumon, picking up a small book that Elecmon was carrying, and read it.

"Healing... Byz, you could have a go at this" Gabumon gave Biyomon the spell book. Biyomon read it, and held her hand over Gabumon's scar.

"Asura!" One single green spark touched Gabumon. The blood slowed slightly, Biyomon read the book more thoroughly, and tried it again.

"Asura!" This time, a shower of green and blue sparks flowed over Gabumon. The wound disappeared completely, and he stood up straight.

"Thanks" he said quickly, "So you can heal now?"

"Yeah" nodded Biyomon, and held her hand over Gatomon this time, "Asura!" Gatomon awoke, shaking her head. She looked excited when she saw what Biyomon had done.

"What? Byz, have you learned healing as well?"

"Apparently" said Gabumon.

"Wow, this is neat!" smiled Gatomon, "Three healers! Try it again, I wanna see" Biyomon made a shower of sparks flow over Armadillomon. He awoke too.

"Thanks, err... Biyomon?!"

"I've learned healing too" said Biyomon proudly, and turned to revive Elecmon. Biyomon and Gabumon told the digimages about what happened with Zyndromon. There was a great reaction when she mentioned Gabumon's mode change.

"Oh, sure, make me the odd one out" said Elecmon, in mock indignance for a moment, then he smiled, "Just joking, it's really great!"

"What time is it?" asked Gomamon. Gatomon's tail ring glowed, and then her whole tail stood straight at an angle.

"Eleven" answered Gatomon, "Let's go"

"An in-built watch?" squeaked Gomamon in bewilderment, "Next thing we know, you're ears act as a telephone reciever!"

"Oh, they do" nodded Gatomon, then she laughed, "Just joking!"

"Why is everyone acting like me?" asked Gomamon in a sad voice.

"Anyway, Biyomon, why did you tell Elecmon to do something about my sores when they were fine?" asked Veemon.

"Not from my angle" said Biyomon, "And I just thought I should help you when you were on the ground in pain"

"That was because I fell over" argued Veemon, "Because someone threw a banana peel at my feet" Biyomon turned and blushed.

"Well, she was telling the truth" shrugged Elecmon, "You were having trouble with your back, mostly because you landed on it"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The digimages walked through the forest. According to Gabumon, the two Necromancers had landed the way they came, so no more interceptions were anticipated. Soon, the forest path changed. They were now walking along a steep hill, with black ground at the bottom. Everyone walked quite close to the side not going over the steep drop.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Gomamon quietly to Elecmon, who had lost the smile usually planted on his face.

"I've been thinking" answered Elecmon, "Why do we fight?"

"To save the world of course" answered Veemon.

"But is that all? Do we just get shot out of a cannon and attack the bad fellas?"

"What do you mean?" asked Gatomon, "Elexi, stop derailing your train of thought all the time"

"We weren't born like humans, we just came into existance, as pools of data" said Elecmon, now beginning to look sad "That just doesn't seem right. We don't change like humans, we stay the same, and all we ever do is fight the bad guys"

"No we don't" said Biyomon, "What about that concert we gave Gomamon? That was fun, and it had nothing to do with fighting"

"Yeah, and the... panty raid at Wizardmon's" smiled Armadillomon, "If that wasn't fun, I don't know what it was" Gatomon looked fearsome when Dillomon mentioned the panty raid, but sighed peacefully when she realised what he was really on about. Elecmon sighed.

"Just enjoy life, Elex" said Veemon quietly, "We'll try to fit in some fun, don't worry"

"Now, I suppose we're going to be attacked?" muttered Gomamon, "Oh, great!" A large stone digimon appeared from around the corner.

"Good one, Gomamon" snapped Biyomon,

"How do we know it wouldn't have turned up if I didn't say anything?" asked Gomamon.

"We don't" retorted Biyomon.

"Hang on, it might not attack" pointed out Elecmon, "Hold still"The stone digimon did attack. It smashed against the wall of the road, letting a small avalanche of rocks fly. This digimon was identified as Gneissmon. He stood nine feet tall, had very long arms, and his entire body was made of stone.

"Xantes Blast!" Veemon was the first to attack, but it had no effect. His beam was simply deflected by Gneissmon's stone body. Gneissmon smashed the wall again, and a large boulder came bounding down.

"Moon Beam!" Gabumon shot a blue beam out of his horn, and Gneissmon froze. In the silence, there was a murky splat at the bottom of the hill. Everyone looked over, and saw the black ground ripple. It was a gross liquid, and it wouldn't be pretty if one of them fell in. They all were surprised when Gneissmon broke out of his icy prison, and smashed them against the wall of the hill. Veemon attacked again.

"Meteor!" His meteor attack was much more effective, it blew Gneissmon right off the edge, but as he fell, his long arm appeared over the ledge, and grabbed onto Veemon's tail. Everyone held onto Veemon, preventing him and Gneissmon from falling into the muck. Gneissmon's grip was too much, we wasn't going to let go any time soon. Veemon turned down, streamers of light appearing on his body.

"Mega Homing!" The light blinded everyone, and all connections were broken. Gneissmon and Veemon fell into the black liquid.

"NO!" screamed Gatomon, and made to also jump in, but Gabumon and Armadillomon stopped her. Tears flowed out of her eyes as she peered over the edge, she saw Veemon struggling to stay afloat, dirty gunk all over him, but he eventually grew tired and sank down.

**Will Veemon survive this? Find out in Chapter 15 of Attack of the Necromancers!R&R**

** A/N:Sorry for the long wait but I got lost in family issues and school**


	15. The Ziedrich Knights

**CHAPTER 15 - The Ziedrich Knights**

Gomamon was wondering why nobody was reacting. Bubbles were stirring the black water, he knew he was the one who had to save the day.

"Look after this" He threw his bag off, and jumped down instead, splashing in. It was just the surface of the water that was dirty, it was quite clear underneath. Gomamon could see quite clearly (duh!). Gneissmon was right down the bottom, still holding to Veemon's tail. The blue dragon was struggling to get free, bubbles streaming out of his mouth. Gomamon tried to help, but Gneissmon's stone grip was too powerful. With one final gush of bubbles, Veemon stopped moving. Gomamon had to act fast,

"Meteor!" Gomamon shot ten magical stones at Gneissmon's immobile body. It vapourised, leaving Veemon by himself. Gomamon quickly grabbed his arm and lifted him to the surface. Gomamon moved extremely easily, even with Veemon's dead weight. Gomamon swam to the bank, trying to get a response from his comrade, it was hopeless, Veemon had drowned.

"Gawd, what do I do now?" he asked himself, "Maybe this would work?"  
He held his flipper over the drowned dragon,

"Aerate" Veemon's lungs squeezed suddenly, forcing the water out. He took a deep breath, oxygen replacing the water, coughing heavily.

"Eerrrgh" groaned Veemon, "What happened?"

"Dead and back" said Gomamon, helping Veemon up,

"How did it get so misty?" asked Veemon. Gomamon looked around, he couldn't believe he didn't notice the dense fog on the water.

"I know this place" he said, slowly, "Mist appears when anyone falls into the water, it's a big trap set up by Kilhamon when he was still here" The mist soon covered the two digimon, and the surrounding land not long after.

"HEY!" called Gomamon, up to the ledge, "CAN YOU HEAR ME?" There was no answer. Veemon took a deep breath,

"WE'RE OKAY!" he yelled, still no answer.

"Hey, this mist is blocking the sound" said Gomamon. Veemon's shout was much quieter than usual.

"What?" asked Veemon,

"What?" asked Gomamon. They both blinked,

"Where do we go now?" asked Gomamon,

"Didn't catch that" said Veemon,

"WHERE DO WE GO NOW, LEEMON?" yelled Gomamon,

"UM, THIS PATH GOES SOMEWHERE" answered Veemon, pointing to the mist, down a path, "SO WE NEED TO GO THIS WAY, I SAW SOMETHING ON ELECMON'S MAP AROUND THERE!"

"ALRIGHT!" yelled Gomamon. Both of their throats were quite sore, and didn't talk as they walked down the misty path.

"I don't hear anything" whispered Gatomon, "Don't tell me they're..."

"Don't think like that" said Elecmon, "Gomamon is one lightning swimmer, they'll be fine"

"But why aren't they calling?" asked Gatomon, "I know Veemon, if they were alive, they'd let us know about it"

This mist is fishy" said Armadillomon,

"Of course it's fishy, all swamp mist smells like that" pointed out Biyomon,

"No, fishy as in mysterious" said Elecmon. He picked up a large stone and threw it down the slope. They never heard the splash.

"Aha! This mist is blocking out the sound!" concluded Gabumon, "They could be still alive and yelling out now"

"Maybe" said Gatomon quietly, he heart rate returning to normal.

"Let's head on, maybe we'll meet up on the way" said Armadillomon, and resumed walking. The other four followed, Gabumon carrying the pack this time. Gatomon was bringing up the rear, looking down. By now, everyone was familiar with her feelings, and didn't ask her what was wrong. However, Gatomon soon forgot worrying about Veemon and Gomamon when she saw Gabumon and Biyomon acting strange. She caught up with them, and decided to buzz them off to lighten the journey.

"What are you two up to?" she asked. They both jumped,

"We're just talking" said Biyomon, blushing slightly,

"You didn't talk before" pointed out Gatomon,

"Well, I'm bored. Neither Gomamon or Veemon are here to tease, so..."

"Hey, why do you tease them?" asked Gatomon, "That's cruel, you know"

"How come you take it so seriously?" asked Biyomon, "I'm just taking things lightly, I don't mean to really offend them" she turned back. Gatomon and rejoined Elecmon and Armadillomon ahead.

"So what happened after Starmon put you all in prison?" asked Gabumon  
Biyomon resumed telling her story.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Meanwhile, Gomamon and Veemon finally got out of the muting mist.  
Ahead of them, there was a small truck-stop at the side of a road. To the other side were a small group of shops.

"I didn't think they had these in the digital world" wondered Gomamon,

"No, I think this has been here for a while" said Veemon, looking at a sign, "This way goes to Maplehurst, and the other way goes to Megrhea. Let's look inside"

They walked in the dirty restaurant, and were both surprised. There were very large digimon everywhere, most wearing dirty jackets and shades.

"We'll sit over here" said Gomamon, and sat on a berth in the corner of the restaurant, "Maybe we can get some help"

"Hey, no rookies allowed!" boomed a large and ugly digimon three seats away from them, "Get out!"

"We're not rookies" answered Gomamon,

"You look like it to me" said the nasty looking digimon, walking over to them. He smelled like year-old deep fryer grease, "If you're not rookies, then what are you?"

"Master" answered Gomamon honestly. Veemon was preparing for the likely worst.

"I've never heard of master" said the large digimon, "You can't trick me rookie, now get out!" He grabbed Gomamon's ears, but Veemon stood up furiously,

"Don't you dare!" he warned,

"Ooh! A rookie's challenging me!" laughed the big fat digimon,

"Proxima Screen!" Veemon blasted away the offending digimon, who lay unconscious on the floor. Everyone in the truck-stop stared. The big fat digimon's friends rolled him out the door, all looking fearfully at Veemon. After a while, everything settled down, and another digimon came over.

"Hey, that attack you did rocked!" he said, "The name's Jansimon, and I might be able to give you guys a job" Jansimon stood four and a half feet tall, had orange skin, had bat-wing ears, and wore a padded leather jacket and black jeans.

"What's the job?" asked Gomamon,

"It might not be your thing..." began Jansimon, "But I can get you a good reward"

"What's the reward?" asked Veemon automatically,

"I can get you an airbike, a good one too, and a sidecar"

"Great, what's the job?" asked Gomamon,

"That digimon you just took out, that was Yadzomon, mega" said Jansimon, "My gang are just Ultimates, and we've been having trouble with a mega gang"

"And you'd like us to take care of this other gang?" asked Gomamon, "No problem"

"But for the sake of gang honour" continued Jansimon, "It would look pretty chatty if we just hire these two stronger-than-megas-who-look-like-rookies, so I'm giving you trial membership in this posse"

"Great" smiled Veemon, "When do we start?"

"Hang on, not yet" said Jansimon, "You're not ready yet, we'll have to, um, make you visually pleasing" Jansimon led them out of the truck stop and to the shops at the other side of the road. It was a shopping center to please any bikie gang. There was an airbike yard, a repair and spare parts center, a general store, a weapons shop, and a clothing shop. Jansimon went into the clothing store, Veemon and Gomamon following. They looked uncertainly at the counter, there was a large shotgun under it, supposedly to keep everything under control.

"Go on, get something" muttered Jansimon. Veemon understood, it would be embarrasing for Jansimon to introduce a weird blue dragon and a funny walking seal to his gang. He had a look around, and found a jacket similar to Davis's, except it had a large V pattern on it, he found faded brown three-quarters, and a pair of shades. Gomamon found a blue jacket, light blue jeans and a bandana to hide his ears.

"That's much better" said Jansimon when they paid, thankfully this shop accepted digidollars,

"Also, we need names for you" added Jansimon, "Any ideas?"

"We can call Qeemon Bint-Nose?" suggested Gomamon. Veemon kicked him.

"Bint-nose? Maybe..."

"NO!" barked Veemon, "How about, Ceres?"

"Why Ceres?" asked Jansimon,

"Meteor attacks" nodded Gomamon, "Yeah, Ceres sounds right. I'll be... no, Xeemon, not Aurora, maybe my name'll be... Borealis!"

"Make it simple" said Jansimon,

"Boree?" suggested Veemon,

"Ceres and Boree" repeated Jansimon, "Weird, but good. Here's the gang now, we're the Ziedrich Knights, remember that"

"How come?" asked Veemon,

"Because all of us know a defense called Ziedrich Force" said Jansimon. A large smile appeared on Veemon's face.

"Okay, fellas, we've found new members that will stand a chance against the Mega Reapers" called Jansimon,

"But these guys are three feet tall" objected one of the gang members,

"Maybe, but they're good" said Jansimon, "This is Ceres, he wiped out Yadzomon with one hit!"

"I don't believe it" said another biker with a female voice,

"Well, I saw him do it" shrugged Jansimon, "And this is Boree, I haven't seen him in action... Ceres, some feedback?"

"Goma... Boree here can do some very good water attacks" said Veemon, "And he's good with Aurora too"

"What do we need Aurora for?" asked another biker,

"I heard it rules against megas" said Jansimon, "Okay, this is Halley, Crux, Dell, and Treno... ready... ZIEDRICH FORCE!" The five bikers made a Ziedrich shield at Jansimon's mark.

"Um, do Ceres and Boree know Ziedrich force?" asked Halley,

"Do I?" asked Veemon, "Ziedrich Force!" he made a spectacular shield, and the others cheered.

"What about you?" asked Dell to Gomamon,

"Um, Ziedrich...Force!" Gomamon didn't make a shield, so Veemon made one for him very quietly. Fortunately, the others didn't notice.

"Rad!" smiled Jansimon, "Crux, did you get the airbike and sidecar I asked for?"

"Yeah, Janz" nodded Crux, "Here it is" Crux dropped a small metal box on the ground, and pressed a button with his foot. The box unfolded, and formed a magnificent new airbike, with a sidecar attached.

"Ceres, Boree, get on that one" said Jansimon, getting on his. Veemon sat on the new bike, and Gomamon sat, muttering, in the sidecar.

"Being in the sidecar's not so bad" called Dell, who was also in a sidecar, "That means you can attack easier, I'd like to see the fireworks when we meet the megas!"

"Ladies and Gents, let's go!" called Jansimon, and started his engine. He roared off into the air. Veemon found the airbike quite easy to handle, and followed Jansimon into the sky.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Meanwhile, the other five were in trouble. They had also met up with an old nemesis,  
"Yeah, I'm back, baby!" said a very familiar voice. It wasn't a necromancer, or even one of their supporters. Gabumon and Biyomon jumped when they saw him. A five foot monkey digimon with shades, carryng a guitar, had a criff and a most annoying voice was standing ahead of them.

"Etemon!" stated Gabumon.

"Yeah! That's mah name, or it was" said the evil singer, "I'm now the king of rollin' rock, and rock'n'roll. I'm Riffetemon now!" The Etemon that the older digimon knew was orange, and he had come back when they were fighting the dark masters as Metaletemon, but Zudomon defeated him. This Etemon now was wearing white clothes, and had a black criff.

"Ah'm bayack for vengeance, uh huh huh!" called Riffetemon, "So Metalgreymon and Zudomon think they're so tough, where are they now? I'll show theyam who's the monarch of rock!"

"How should we get him this time?" asked Biyomon,

"Let's show him our digimagic" suggested Gabumon, "That'll wipe the smirk off his face"

"So, who's up for a whoopin' this tahme?" asked Riffetemon, clapping, "Or will ah hayave to destroy you all in one blow?"

"I'll sock him off first" said Biyomon, "Mode change to... Sorceress Mode!" Biyomon faced Riffetemon, and took the first strike,

"F5 Tornado!" Riffetemon wasn't even affected by the tornado. He just laughed,

"Hey, that was fun, lady" laughed Riffetemon, "Ah can do thayat too! Deaf Tone!" He played a chord on his guitar, and the sound was horrendous. All except Gatomon, who folded her ears were on the ground in pain.

"Mode change to... Wizardess mode!"

"Aww, come on, how am ah supposed to destroy such a cute lady like yourself?" asked Riffetemon, as though he was addressing a baby, then sneered,

"Lahke thiyis! F Major!" He played his guitar, and a large beam shot out of it. Gatomon dodged it.

"Ah, a dancer eh?" asked Riffetemon, "Here's a number to boogie to!" He played a terrible tune on his guitar, and shot a barrage of beams at Gatomon. She blocked them with a shield learned from Armadillomon. She took a deep breath when the song finished, and raised her paws,

"Infinite Maelstrom!"

A glittering blue sphere appeared around Riffetemon. There was shouts from inside the sphere, and it stopped. When the sphere faded, nothing was there. Gatomon sighed, she wished the others were here to witness this, but they were on the ground once more, probably unconscious. She went about reviving them, dancing a little out of pride.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Ziedrich Knights reached a spooky scrap metal heap an hour later.

"We ride around at top speed to draw them out" called Jansimon, "Then Ceres and Boree attack. Keep them protected at all times"

Everyone nodded, then zoomed around the air above the scrap metal heap. The Mega Reapers grumpily moved out to intercept them, but they soom found this was a mistake.

"Aurora Solstice!" Gomamon fired an Aurora Sphere at one of the megas, and their bike failed completely, crashing on the ground.

"ALRIGHT!" yelled Gomamon, "Water Spout!" He summoned a tornado of water that spun around the reapers. They were all dizzy when it stopped, but they got their bearings back, and all attacked Gomamon.

"Ziedrich Force!" Treno set up a shield in front of him. They were all having a lot of fun, but it looked like the megas were getting cheesed off, so Veemon figured he needed to end this battle soon. White lights snaked down from the sky to him, and streamers of light radiated out. It was a bit awkward on the airbike, but he managed,

"EPSILON STORM!" Every single Mega Reaper in the sky was impaled by the white rays, and they all crashed down.

"Woo!" called Jansimon, "We're landing now!" The Ziedrich Knights all landed, and congratulated Veemon and Gomamon.

"You fellas rock!" grinned Crux,

"Yeah, three feet tall, but three gigawatts of power" added Dell,

"What?" asked Gomamon,

"Ignore him" said Jansimon quickly, "Welcome to the team"

"Wait a minute" called Veemon, everyone looked at him, "There's something we need to tell you" Veemon told them all about the Necromancers, and they all looked shocked,

"And they won't stop until the world is finished off" said Veemon, "They want control of it, plus the other parallel worlds, and life and death itself"

"Whoa, this is a big problem" nodded Jansimon, "But we'll kick their hides, won't we?"

"Yeah!" boomed the Ziedrich Knights, though their spirit was slightly down when Veemon told them that the Necromancers were as strong as him and Gomamon.

"So, where are these Nekrohoozits?" asked Jansimon,

"They normally turn up when we're divided" said Veemon, "There's another five of us master level digimon that are fighting against the Necromancers, but they always escape before we get to finish them off"

"I never thought I'd see you two in the company of Ultimates" boomed Zyndromon,

"That's one of them now" said Gomamon. The Ziedrich Knights immediately got on their airbikes and attacked Zyndromon. They used the same strategy as against the Mega Reapers, to keep Veemon and Gomamon guarded. It was greatly effective, Zyndromon considered the gang an unworthy target.

"Solomon Ray!" Zyndromon fired a huge beam at Veemon's airbike, but the gang's Ziedrich Shield was too strong.

"Meteor!" Veemon shot five massive comets at Zyndromon. Three hit.

"THAT'S why I'm called Ceres!" yelled Veemon,

"Ugh! Solaris Barrage!" Zyndromon shot about thirty yellow beams of homing light at the Ziedrich Knights. Everyone had to defend themselves, and Veemon was too occupied with the airbike. Gomamon had to do something fast.

"Ziedrich Force!" Gomamon finally set up the shield, and it blocked Zyndromon's attack.

"Shield Storm!" Jansimon's shield disintegrated, and formed a shower of sharp shards that flew at Zyndromon. It looked like Zyndromon was about to snuff it, but... she flew down to the ground, and struck her spear down. A projection appeared, glowing the seven colours of the rainbow. It glowed stronger and stronger, before...

"PROXIMA SPHERE!"

The projection exploded, blowing the Ziedrich Knights away. Veemon and Gomamon were blown right over the horizon, and most unfortunately, the sidecar's connection to the airbike was severely damaged, and Gomamon was thrown away. Veemon regained control of the airbike, and went to look for Gomamon, around an extremely high cliff, hoping his comrade hadn't fallen down that far.

**Is Veemon's fear true? Did the other Ziedrich Knights survive Zyndromon's attack? Are you getting bored of my end-of-chapter questions? Find out in chapter 16 of Attack of the Necromancers. R&R**


	16. Shamonesmon's Showdown

**CHAPTER 16 - Shamonesmon's Showdown**

Gomamon flew down, the sidecar slightly aerodynamic. Gomamon steered, and lined up his landing on a plain. He had a rough landing, but stopped safely.

"In the name of all sacred digimon, what the heck is going on?" Gomamon looked, and saw very familiar people staring at him. Gatomon, Armadillomon, Gabumon, Biyomon and Elecmon were gathered around the sidecar.

"What are you doing in those clothes?" asked Biyomon.

"Where's Veemon?" asked explained what happened, and by the time he finished, his throat was extremely sore.

"I've heard of the Ziedrich Knights" said Biyomon, frowning, "I used to know Jansimon, beats me how he got you two in his gang",Gomamon frowned at Biyomon, and made a very funny hand gesture on his face. Gatomon laughed, and continued to walk, but an amazing thing happened. Gatomon disappeared.

"How did she do that?" asked Gabumon, blinking. The background looked normal, there was just a plain hill, and over it was a magnificent jungle.

"HELP ME!" screamed Gatomon. Gabumon ran forward, but just stopped himself in time. The hill was actually a very cleverly placed cliff, four hundred feet high.

"HOLD ON GATS!" yelled Gabumon. Gatomon was holding onto a ledge, and by the look of it, she couldn't hold on for much longer. Gabumon wished Palmon was here to pull Gatomon up with her vines, but she wasn't. He took off his fur and lowered it down. Gatomon tried to reach it, but it was too late. Her clawed glove slipped off her paw, and she fell down. She expected a nasty crash, but she landed sooner than expected. Breeze was flying through her hair, and there was a nice hovering sound. Gatomon opened her eyes, and saw a blue head with angular ears above a big padded jacket with a large yellow V sewed on.

"Veemon?"The blue dragon turned around, and Gatomon was shocked. Veemon was wearing shades, a jacket, and three-quarters. They were flying on a strange object, a bit like a large motorbike, except it had blue energy pads instead of wheels.

"You okay, Gats?" asked Veemon.

"Holy Seraphimon, what happened to you?" asked Gatomon.

"Err, had to get a disguise to use this" answered Veemon.

"Well, I think it suits you" smiled Gatomon. Veemon smiled back, and turned back ahead, "What happened to your glove?" he asked.

"Fell off" sighed Gatomon.

"Whoa, it's gonna get bumpy!" yelled Veemon, and the airbike veered violently. Gatomon looked, and saw a red beam shoot past. Shamonesmon was there for a final visit. She was shooting at them rapidly.

"Can you attack?" asked Veemon, it was impossible for him to use a straight on attack, Shamonesmon was firing too much.

"Can I?" asked Gatomon, proudly. She fired white beams back at Shamonesmon, who stopped firing and began evading, giving Veemon the chance to line up an attack. He turned, and went at top speed at Shamonesmon. Beams of light snaked down, and nine pods of light appeared.

"Xantes Blast!"Shamonesmon was hit very badly, but she recovered. Veemon was too close to her to evade.

"Trinity Ray!" She made a direct hit to the airbike with a red beam. Veemon and Gatomon were plummeting toward the ground.

"Jump when I say so" called Veemon, the bike spitting flames, "...NOW!" They both jumped off the airbike twenty feet off the ground, the bike crashed into a tree and blew up.  
"Why does that always happen?" commented Gatomon. They both landed safely in a leafy bush away from the explosion.

Meanwhile, the other five digimages witnessed the battle from the cliff top. When they saw the smoke from the destroyed airbike, they assumed the worst, fortunately, so did Shamonesmon, and she didn't bother to finish them off. Instead, she flew up to the remaining five digimages, and grinned evilly.

"Now, see the reason why I am known as the mistress of beasts!" she thundered. Shamonesmon summoned a massive range of digimon to fight the allies. They were all of the virus type, and looked very menacing. The allies had a tough battle, but managed to defeat them all. Shamonesmon laughed, and summoned another wave of digimon. This was the toughest battle they had ever fought, mainly because of the absence of Veemon and Gatomon. They defeated all the digimon again, and then regrouped.

"One of us will have to hit Shamonesmon while everyone else attacks the digimon" said Elecmon, "You want to, Gabba?"

"Actually, I think Gomes would stand more of a chance" said Gabumon, "His Aurora attacks might be more effective than mine" Elecmon blinked.

"If you say so" he shrugged, "Gomes, you know what to do," Gomamon grinned, and looked at Shamonesmon.

"Solar Squall!" Gomamon made the sun glow brightly, and suddenly, a massive flash of light occurred, half-blinding everyone. Then, there was a variety of effects. Fires broke out in the surrounding forest, the sea behind them was churning violently, and the wind became extremely strong. Dark clouds formed, and lightning stuck every square foot of the ground. Finally, Gomamon yelled, and a gust of white wind struck Shamonesmon. With a scream, she vaporized into data.  
Gomamon fell limp, and was held up by his friends.

"Wow" exclaimed Armadillomon, "That was neat."

"Yeah, and the best thing is, Shamonesmon's gone, we've only got three more to fight" added Elecmon, "You've gotten truly powerful, Gomes, wow, a High Mage too!"Biyomon smiled, but then looked worried as she noticed the smoke from the airbike.

"What about Veemon and Gats" she asked, "Do you think they're..."

"No" said Gomamon firmly, "Those two are tougher than Arma's shell. I honestly can't see them die in a crash."

"Still, I'll go take a look" said Biyomon, and she flew down toward the wreckage.

"Byz, there you are" called Gatomon. She was still in her wizardess mode.

"Are you two okay?" asked Biyomon, "Holy Azulomon! Veemon, what are you doing in those clothes?" she gasped when Veemon appeared.

"Um, it was supposed to be a disguise so Jansimon would give me the airbike" he answered. "I know Jansimon, and he wouldn't fall for that stupid costume" retorted Biyomon.

"Well he did" smirked Veemon, "Anyway, what happened?"Biyomon told them briefly about Gomamon's attack.

"What?" spluttered Veemon, "Is Gomes at High Mage level now?"

"Apparently" answered Biyomon, still moderately flabbergasted at Veemon's clothes.

"Wow, him of them all" he whispered, shaking his head.

"Anyway, we'll have to meet up somewhere" said Biyomon, "Hang on, I'll get Elecmon's map."

"Don't worry" said Gatomon, "Tell them we'll meet in Maplehurst, that's the nearest town."

"See you later" called Biyomon, and flew back up to the cliff top.

"Aww, why couldn't you go with them?" asked Gomamon, irritated when Biyomon returned, "They're only two."

"They can handle it" said Biyomon, choosing not to slap Gomamon this time because he just got rid of Shamonesmon, "Anyway, they're going to Maplehurst, so we should go too."

"Yeah, those two can handle it" Gomamon sniggered. Biyomon decided to slap him after all, but not as hard as before. Gomamon blushed as he picked up the pack from where Gabumon dropped it.

"You know the way to Maplehurst, Gats?" asked Veemon.

"Um... hang on" answered Gatomon, looking around, "Yeah! These trees always point their blossoms north. Maplehurst is east of here, this way!"

"How do you know all this stuff?" asked Veemon, still amazed.

"Wizardmon used to teach me these things" answered Gatomon, "And so did Kari."

"I kinda wish Davis smarter too" sighed Veemon, "But he sometimes acts stupid."

"That's the way some people are" said Gatomon, "But they can change. You're living proof of this, remember?"

"Ah ha! Yeah" Veemon sniggered. Gatomon used to think that more sense could come from a cabbage than him. Gatomon turned to look at him.

"You're cute" she said, without thinking.

"Yeah, you thought I was cute as Demiveemon, but now I'm drop-dead gorgeous, baby!" joked Veemon. Gatomon laughed hard.

"You think this hat suits me?" asked Gatomon, indicating her winged hat.

"Yeah, it's fine" nodded Veemon, and was about to say "It makes your ears look smaller" but stopped himself , thinking that would be worth a slap.

"If you go down to the woods today, be sure to be surprised!" sung a voice that Veemon and Gatomon hated above all others.

"Ah, I am surprised!" exclaimed Bardmon, who had recovered his deadly baton, "Jovia Barrage!" Both Veemon and Gatomon were hit with Jovia spells. They were in great pain, but they were still focused. They both felt a great power.

"Let's try an overdrive combo" suggested Gatomon.

"Yeah" nodded Veemon. He and Gatomon concentrated, and then a devastating event occurred. The forest disappeared, and was replaced with a celestial view.

"Sigma Cosmos!" Three runed triangles appeared above Bardmon, and began to spin, faster and faster. Their attack could have destroyed Bardmon, if it wasn't for his retaliation.

"Fool's Bomber!" Bardmon shot a glowing orb at them, and exploited their diverted attention, and fled. Veemon and Gatomon also ran away, their attack fading.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gatomon looked behind, and saw the bomb coming closer and closer. She and Veemon ran as fast as they could, the bomb gaining up on them. They stopped, at the edge of a fifty foot drop into the lake. There were no rocks about, it was clear.

"We have to jump" said Gatomon.

"I can't" pointed out Veemon, "I can't mode-change, and can't swim". This was true, the Jovia Barrage attack seemed to do something bad.

"I'll keep you alright, don't worry," said Gatomon, "Don't you remember our promise? We look out for each other."

Veemon nodded, the bomb meters away. They took a running jump, hands held, and splashed into the lake. Gatomon surfaced immediately, and Veemon took a little while. The bomb exploded on the top of the cliff, rubble raining down upon them. One rock smashed on Veemon's head, knocking him out. Gatomon was too busy to heal him, so she held his arm and swam away. Soon, Veemon was getting too heavy, so Gatomon rested on a submerged island, and healed him.

"Are we alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, not far to go" said Gatomon, "We're on an island." Veemon looked anxiously around the small island at the water.

"Gawd, you're a wimp" said Gatomon impatiently.

"I'm sorry" sighed Veemon.

"No, I'm sorry" answered Gatomon, "Try to swim, and I'll stop you sinking." They both jumped in the water, Gatomon was stronger than she looked. Soon, they were both on the shore of the lake.

"I hope these don't shrink" Veemon joked, who was still wearing his biker costume. Much to his dismay, they did shrink, and he had to discard it. Gatomon didn't mind, Veemon walked funnily, he felt quite naked.

"When Bardmon fired that bomb at us..." she said, "...it really made me think. What if something did happen to one of us? What would we do?"

"If you died in battle?" summarized Veemon, "I wouldn't know what I'd do. I do know it would be somewhere between hanging myself and drowning in despair." Gatomon smiled.

"So would I" she admitted, "But that won't help at all."

"Then what do we do, Gats?" asked Veemon, kicking a small rock around.

"We stop it from happening" answered Gatomon, "Here's the deal, you stop any bad guys attacking me, and if anything happens to you, I'll heal you, no matter what."

"That sounds okay" nodded Veemon, kicking the rock a bit too far.

"What about an oath, you know, make it official" suggested Gatomon, "We don't have anything at the moment, just as a start."

"Okay then" said Veemon, holding his hand on his chest, "I swear that as long as there's air in my lungs, not a scratch will be visible on you."

"That's so sweet" smiled Gatomon, "Alright, then" she put her paw on her chest too, "As long as this heart beats, you'll always be healed at every hit."

They both sniggered slightly at the formalness of their oaths, but they still made sense. They resumed walking, Veemon finding a second stone to kick around, "Gats, did anyone tell you..."  
Gatomon breathed happily. Finally, Veemon was growing up and knew this situation was the best time to open up. However, his next sentence dragged Gatomon back to Earth, "...about the unison spell when we were separated on the via...thingy?" he asked.

"Yeah" said Gatomon, slightly upset "Gennai himself said stuff" she sighed, "He said we have to use our elements on you, but I don't like that idea much. Why? Did you meet someone too, Vee?"

"Yeah, I did" said Veemon, getting somber, "Someone called Aldumon told me about it."

"Who's Aldumon?" asked Gatomon, twirling her claw around one of the wings in her hat.

"He's Kilhamon's brother, but he's sort of defected, and he's working for Gennai" answered Veemon, now looking very down.

"He tutored me about the spell, he taught me how to withstand the elements involved. We got six done, and... Lorheasmon attacked."

"What happened?" asked Gatomon, her eyes widening.

"Lorheasmon said that Kilhamon made a big mistake cursing me, you know, dragon stuff, and then he said that he and the other jerks were cursed too."

"So they won't come back either" said Gatomon, "That's one good thing."

"Then Lorheasmon cursed Aldumon, and... killed him." Gatomon gasped, forgetting she was upset about Veemon not flirting.

"That (Gatomon's word used to refer Lorheasmon made Veemon hiccup)! I'm gonna... rip that (She said an even nastier word) apart! Where is he anyway?" she huffed, "I'm angry now, make me laugh!"

"Um... okay" said Veemon, awkwardly. He thought, and came up with a good idea. He cleared his throat then started sing badly.

_I'm too sexy for the armour, too sexy for the armour, it's really too heavy!  
I'm too sexy for the weapons, too sexy for the weapons, I can kick hide without them!  
I'm too sexy for the stupid, DNA digivolving, it's really too gay!  
I'm a dragon, you know what I mean, and I'm too sexy for the humans, the weirdo humans, who only use me!  
I'm too sexy for the bad guys, those pathetic bad guys, they're all jealous of me!_

Gatomon burst into laughter on the first line, and took five minutes to stop. The noise the two made was a bit too loud, because the noise attracted a digimon that they didn't want to see any day.

"No" whispered Gatomon, "Not him."

Veemon turned around, and saw a horrific sight. It was Doomon, the deformed magic digimon that Gatomon recognised in one of Myotismon's books about rare and dangerous mega digimon. They had to attack now, or else.

"Epsilon Storm!"

"Magic Lightstorm!"

Veemon's and Gatomon's attacks made contact, but Doomon merely laughed.

"Data Disruptor!" A transparent blue beam hit Gatomon and Veemon, and continued to flow. It looked like water because it distorted the air. It was absolute agony, but the two digimon managed to hold it together.

"Terra... um... why isn't it working?" asked Veemon. Gatomon had the same problem.

"Ha! Without your digimagic, you're useless!" sneered Doomon.

"Think again, you mismatched Golem!" yelled Veemon, and attacked. Gatomon was shocked. Veemon was jumping off trees and attacking Doomon like a blue pinball. He was too fast for Doomon, and beat him up very badly.

"Ugh!" groaned Doomon, "I will not be defeated by a rookie! FROSTED WIND!" A chilly wind entered the clearing, and Veemon was frozen solid. Doomon was about to attack...

"Cat's Eye Hypnotism!" Gatomon's eyes lit up, and Doomon was diverted. He glared into Gatomon's gaze, hypnotised. Gatomon saw Veemon defrost in the hot sun, and he attacked.

"Vee Laser!" Veemon's beam struck Doomon's back, and he turned around, dazed.

"Digi Demise!" Doomon cast a death spell and it hit Veemon, but he still attacked. The blade appeared in his hand again, and he jumped up.

"Zweihander!" Veemon launched into a superb combo attack. He had Doomon in midair and was timing perfectly. Gatomon lost count of how many hits were being dealt. Doomon was finally destroyed, and Gatomon's digimagic returned. Veemon collapsed, which is understandable because he had just been hit with a death spell, but Gatomon was able to revive him in time.

"You don't even need digimagic to wipe out a mega" smiled Gatomon in awe, "Geez! You've even got a built in sword! Right! My mind is made up! Vee, we're going on a date when the Necromancers are gone." Veemon thought he was still dead.

**Is Gatomon serious about the date? Can she really revive her cursed allies from destruction? What would Sigma Cosmos do if they weren't attacked? What will Gomamon do now that he is at High Mage level? Find out in chapter 17 of Attack of the Necromancers! R&R **


	17. The Knight of Shadows

**CHAPTER 17 - The Knight of Shadows**

Meanwhile, Gomamon was treated like a sort of king because of his High Mage level. He enjoyed it thoroughly at first, but soon got bored of it.

"Come on fellas" he said, when Elecmon had offered to carry his pack, "I know I rule, but can we drop it please? I'm not used to people spoiling me."

"Well, if you say so" shrugged Gabumon, "It's just we're glad that we finally have a high mage in the group."

"Gomamon, the high mage" repeated Biyomon, in a cynical tone, "One word, weird!"

"Biyomon, the annoying buzzard" said Gomamon, mimicking Biyomon's tone, "One word, fitting!"

"Shut up!" squawked Biyomon, everyone laughed.

"How does it feel though?" asked Elecmon, "To finally be the most powerful digimon in the world?"

"That's a bit over the top!" said Gomamon, looking wide-eyed at Elecmon.

"Not really" shrugged Elecmon, "You finished a Necromancer with one hit."

"Oh, yeah" grinned Gomamon, "I don't really know what to think, it was Agumon and Gabba who got to be the Main Gauches against the Dark Masters, and I was a secondary four years later, but I've never been this far ahead before. Honestly, I thought someone else would learn their Ultimate spells before me, like Gabba or Heemon..."

"Alright, Alright!" piped up Armadillomon, "He's not writing a biography you know, just say what you feel."

"I feel... great!" grinned Gomamon.

"Thank you!" huffed Armadillomon, turning back to the road, "And you'd better practice that spell, Gomamon, you're our main weapon against Lorheasmon and the others, but I'd like to take a swing at him, personally."

"No kidding" said Elecmon automatically. He was thinking.

"How do we defeat Lorheasmon?"

"We just storm in there and fight like crazy" shrugged Gomamon.

"No we don't" said Elecmon, "Remember, Gats isn't here to revive us if we go down."

"Oh, yeah. Can't you Elex?" asked Gomamon.

"No, I can't revive, I just heal. I think we should have a strategy this time," explained Elecmon.

"Yeah, I get it" said Gabumon, "Well, let's see what ideas we've got so far."

"Lorheasmon's main weapon is his sword" pondered Armadillomon, "That's a short range weapon, so maybe we need a long range attack?"

"Probably" agreed Elecmon, "What long range attacks do we have?"

"Solar squall of course" smiled Gomamon, "So I can finish Sir Rustalot off too! Yeah!"

"But what if they team up again?" asked Biyomon, "Zyndromon's long range too."

They talked about it for a while, but the idea of Gomamon attacking again seemed to still be the best idea. They reached Maplehurst at dusk, but saw no sign of Veemon or Gatomon.

Later that night, Gabumon and Biyomon sat in the deserted restaurant, thoroughly enjoying the lack of other people. Gabumon had saved a lot of food from Digitamamon's restaurant, and they ate it happily, talking about this and that, enjoying their first date.

"You think they went on?" asked Armadillomon, after they waited for a day, "I mean, they were closer to Maplehurst than we were."

"Yeah, they might've" nodded Elecmon, "Let's head on to Barista Gorge."

"Why?" asked Gabumon.

"They'd probably go there" shrugged Elecmon, "Anyway, I don't think they would stay here, it's too creepy, this is supposed to be a ghost town."

"Yeah, that's Gats alright" agreed Biyomon, "And Veemon acts like her pet Iguana.

"  
"That's a bit harsh" scolded Elecmon, "Let's head on."

"Since when were you deputy king?" asked Biyomon.

"Please, don't start" sighed Gabumon. The others left, but Gabumon decided to stay behind. A part of him knew he should do so.

Meanwhile, Gatomon and Veemon were still stuck in the forest, facing a plant digimon with hair like silverbeet and an extremely ugly face. Its scream was horrifying.

"It's Mandramon!" yelled Gatomon over the screaming, "He's too poisonous, let's get out of here before he attacks..."

"Epoximise!" Mandramon spat yellow liquid at Veemon's feet. He stuck fast.

"Ugh! Damn it!" barked Veemon, struggling, "Might as well fight" he stood upright.

"Xantes Blast!" Mandramon was blown by Veemon's now famous beam, but retaliated.

"Pain Venom!"

"Auuugh!" Veemon let out a loud moan as the poison took effect. It was extremely painful, and he couldn't attack.

"Asura Striker!" Gatomon sent Mandramon flying, but that wasn't the top priority at the moment.

"Umm, what do I do?" she was starting to panic. Veemon began to make terrible sounds, like what one would do on his death bed. Gatomon couldn't use Panacea yet, only Elecmon could.

"Ah, that's it, I've got some antidote here" said Gatomon, her head on straight now, "Drink this, Vee."

Veemon was almost completely paralyzed, so Gatomon had to open his mouth and drop a lidful in.

"Can you talk?" asked Gatomon, Veemon shook his head slowly. Gatomon read the antidote label, it reacted instantly, but took a while to get the victim better.

"That's okay, we can wait" said Gatomon quietly, sitting down, "Can you sleep?"

Veemon shook his head slowly again, Gatomon sighed, "We might as well talk" she exhaled, smiling because she had a second chance to turn up the romance, "Oh, you might have to listen for a change."

Veemon stared at her, Gatomon smiled,"Don't worry, I'm not as boring as Elecmon" she paused, "Have you ever been on the roof of a human building?"

Veemon shook his head and looked interested. Gatomon spent the afternoon talking about things in the real world that she thought was nice, and also parts of the digital world. Veemon hooked onto every word, he hadn't even seen the digital world before he was released from the cave three years ago.

"Glad you enjoyed that" finished Gatomon, and went through the 7-second-pause. She was considering whether to voice her feelings.

"When you saved me on that airbike... I think that was one of the best things that ever happened to me."

Veemon smiled,"Did anyone ever tell you you've got the most cutest smile?" asked Gatomon. Veemon blushed,"I am serious about the date you know, so don't think you can back out."

"I'm... not" whispered Veemon, the antidote was working. He stood up, "We... should... get... to... Maple... you know."

"Yeah" agreed Gatomon and also stood up. Veemon couldn't walk properly, so she had to help him along,"What do you think our Ultimate spells will be?" asked Gatomon.

"I think... mine's... Dragon Eclipse" answered Veemon, getting better by the minute, "Like a blend... of the other three."

"It's not fair! You get three master spells!" objected Gatomon, Veemon just sniggered, which sounded most unusual with his rusty voice.

"You don't need a high mage spell, that sword you used on Doomon did the job alright" pointed out Gatomon.

"Maybe" shrugged Veemon, making Gatomon get solemn.

"I don't want you getting too power-hungry alright?" she told him.

"What?"

"Because... that's how you get dangerous" said Gatomon, "You remember that movie at Izzy's? That guy just wanted a bit more power, and he got it, and he couldn't control it and..."

"Don't worry... I won't do that, Gats" assured Veemon, "I'd never turn bad."

"I don't know" said Gatomon quietly.

"You know what this stands for?" asked Veemon, pointing to the V on his forehead, "Virtue. That's what it means. We're Vaccine digimon, we only do good, not bad, well... bad as in evil, but... yeah."

"Don't start that crusade stuff again" warned Gatomon, playfully.

"What?"Gatomon put on a bold, grand voice.

"I am Veemon the Virtuous! I destroy the evil and have sworn to defend my love Gatomon to the death!"

Veemon laughed, but stopped because it felt uncomfortable, "Geez! I wouldn't do that if you paid me a thousand digidollars" sniggered Veemon, and they continued walking.

"I don't know what my high mage spell is" sighed Gatomon, "That Maelstrom attack I did on Riffetemon cut close, but I think I can do better. Oh, well, I'll find out one day" she paused, "What did Aldumon teach you? Before he..."

"He taught me how to um, tolerate the elements" answered Veemon, "We haven't started on water yet, and that's the last one."

"You can't handle water can you, Vee?" asked Gatomon.

"No, I only wash and drink with it" answered Veemon, "Anything else is a no-go."

"I doubt about the wash bit" said Gatomon, fanning her face, "But you're okay with the other six aren't you?"

"Yeah... ooooh!"

They didn't talk much from then on, Veemon was suffering adverse effects from the antidote and had massive cramps in his stomach, which was normal according to the bottle. Gatomon was whispering soothing things like, "Come on, nearly there" and rubbed his stomach as they walked to ease the pain.

"Geez! It's so smooth" thought Gatomon, sighing comfortably. Most unfortunately, Veemon felt a lot of gas developing in his bowels, so he walked quite funny to stop any from escaping. Maplehurst was in sight, it was an old fashioned town with cobblestone streets and bluestone buildings. Veemon's pain ceased, but he daringly pretended it was still there so Gatomon would still give him a massage, but his nerve was short.

"Um, it's okay now" he said ten minutes after it was. Gatomon let go, and walked normally. Veemon still walked funnily, but Gatomon didn't notice.

"Bit weird isn't it?" she asked, "Maplehurst normally has at least one person on the streets where's everyone else?"

"Someone's coming" exclaimed Veemon, looking relieved at first, but then looked horrified.

"It's Lorheasmon" he whispered, there was no mistaking that armour clanking. There was nowhere to hide, Lorheasmon clanked around the corner, and faced the two of them. He looked different from last time, mainly because he grew ten feet, but his armour was now silver, and he looked a lot more stronger.

"Ah, good" he exclaimed. There was no mercy, he lunged at Veemon and aimed a stab, which Veemon ducked, but Lorheasmon banged his gauntlet on Veemon's head, and he was knocked to the ground. He turned to Gatomon.

"Animal Dazer!" Gatomon was completely paralyzed.

As Veemon watched, Lorheasmon flung her over his shoulder and strode off, and threw her in the prison. Thinking he'd better make the best of a bad situation, he finally released the wind. The embarrassing sound echoed throughout the deserted streets.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"GATS!" Veemon yelled, "WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"I think there's someone over in Megrhea that didn't hear you" said an unfamiliar voice. It was a weird digimon with the head of a playing card king and was dressed in black, white, red and blue.

"I am Deucemon, and my business is to finish you in the most suspending way," Deucemon held up a deck of cards, and he drew five. He turned them around and showed Veemon, the cards had weird symbols on that he didn't understand. Suddenly, Deucemon's face screwed up, and he fanned it with his cards.

"Pwaah! That really wreaks!" he spluttered, "You have beans or curry or something?"

"So much for dignity" muttered Veemon, sweatdropping. Deucemon resumed his intimidating position.

"Ah, a winning hand!" he chuckled, "Energy Zero!"

Veemon felt his strength drain right away. He tried to attack, but nothing happened.  
Deucemon threw another card in the air, and it turned around to face Veemon. There was a picture of a drop of water, then the card shot a cloud of black smoke. Veemon was unaffected.

"If your friend Gomamon was here, he would have been killed by that card" said Deucemon, "These cards kill the type of digimon that they depict. If I draw the dragon card, Veemon, then it's all over."

Veemon felt very scared, but he still didn't cower. His digimagic was still disabled, and his strength had left. Deucemon drew another card. It showed a lightning bolt, still not the dragon. Veemon had to try something to defend if the trump card did come up.

"Ziedrich Force!" The smoke still went through the barrier, and would have finished off Elecmon if he was here. Veemon was defenseless, and he awaited his fate. Deucemon drew yet another card, it turned, but showed an Ice crystal. The next, a small green shoot. Deucemon drew another card, and a sneer grew along his face. He turned it around, and showed a picture of a red dragon. This was it. Veemon shut his eyes, and heard the magical smoke appear.

"G-Cross Freezer!"

The card was ripped to shreds by the attack. Veemon looked, Gabumon was there as always when he was needed.

"Stone Time!" Deucemon was frozen in time, but wouldn't be for long.

"You made it, Gabba" smiled Veemon, still weak from the attack.

"Here, drink this," said Gabumon, giving Veemon a flask full of blue liquid. He felt his strength restore completely.

"We don't have a double attack yet do we?" asked Gabumon.

"No, we don't" agreed Veemon, "How about we combine my dragon power with your time digimagic?"

"That should be interesting" said Gabumon, as Deucemon resumed himself.

Veemon and Gabumon stood back to back, looking sideways at Deucemon. Both of them raised their hands and spoke separately.

"Garuru..."

"...Vee..."

"...Oblivion!"

Their hands emitted yellow pulses of light, and a blue plasma sphere appeared around Deucemon. The sphere began to shrink, and Deucemon grew smaller and smaller. Finally, the sphere was just a pinprick, and then it disappeared completely, with a few sparks of data.

"Wow, that was cool!" exclaimed Gabumon, "Where's the prison?"

"Um, this building looks like it" said Veemon, looking at a building with barred windows and one heavy door. It was locked, but doors don't last long if Veemon wants to enter. It turned out to be some sort of armoury, and had primitive weapons like swords and spears. Gabumon had a look around.

"I think we should take them" he said, looking at the shiny weapons, "We'll stand a better chance against Lorheasmon."

"I've already got a sword" said Veemon.

"Only as an overdrive" pointed out Gabumon, looking at the various weapons, "Lorheasmon creamed you last time, so we'll fight on equal terms this round."

Veemon shrugged and also looked at the weapons.

"How did Lorheasmon get so big though?" he thought aloud.

"Bad guys like to grow I suppose" shrugged Gabumon, picking up a large sword and swishing it around, "They all think bigger is better. Devimon did that too, and he was almost invincible... I don't like this one" he put the big sword away, and looked at the polearms.

"Oh, I remember now!" said Veemon, suddenly, making Gabumon drop a Morning Star on the ground, "I heard Elex and Gats talking about a dark spell in Myotismon's library that made digimon grow... it's called Revus Might, but we shouldn't use it, it's for bad guys only... you think shortswords will do?"

Gabumon took an impressive looking battle halberd, and Veemon took twin short-swords. They ran out of the armoury toward the prison.

"Uh, Gabba, you remember Ochumon?" asked Veemon, awkwardly, his ears straight.

"No" said Gabumon, stopping, "Oh, that guy who blinded you?"

"Well, here's the chance to try these things out" said Veemon, pulling out his twin swords. They really didn't suit him, but they felt comfortable. Ochumon jumped in front of them.

"I'll cream you this time!" yelled the lime beast, "Ochu Dance!"

Ochumon shot pollen in the air, and it fell all over Veemon and Gabumon. Veemon wisely shut his eyes, but Gabumon was blinded this time. Veemon ran forward and attacked with his new weapons. Ochumon's two tentacles with battering orbs at the ends fell to the ground.

"Gastric Juice!"

Ochumon coughed up some acid and spat it at Veemon, who dodged it, but was worried when the acid melted a small crater in the road. He had to end this now, "Main Gauche!"

Veemon launched into a combo attack, and because of the amount of prejudice he felt toward the digimon, slashed Ochumon to bits of data.

"You okay?" he asked Gabumon.

"Uh, he's got me" Gabumon moaned.

"I'm not as good as Elex but I'll give it a shot" said Veemon, "Panacea!"

Gabumon's eyesight came back, but was slightly blurred.

"Thanks" he said gratefully, "Let's head on."

They walked through the streets, totally exploiting the absence of any girls. Veemon was a completely different person when Gatomon wasn't around, after all, he has been around Davis for over three years.

"Whoo! That was torture!" he exclaimed jokingly.

"Yeah, I heard that one" smirked Gabumon, "That must've been a lot of pressure, how come it came to that?"

"Rule 32 of women, Gabba, never pass wind within a mile of them" said Veemon, "Since the book was published after Gatomon asked me out, I follow it like a bible!"

"No - way!" exclaimed Gabumon, "She asked you out?"

"Ho, yeah!" said Veemon loudly, "Right after yours truly smacked down Doomon... drumroll please... without digimagic!"

"Well, you're too late, Vemo, 'cause Byz asked me out ages ago" said Gabumon proudly.

"Did she give you a massage?" asked Veemon slyly.

"No" said Gabumon, his face metamorphosing, "Whooa! Vemo! You wolf in sheep's clothing!"

"You can't talk" said Veemon, plucking Gabumon's fur, "You're a whatsit in wolf's clothing. Anyway, she rubbed the old white-scales for a while..."

"White scales?" asked Gabumon, confused.

"You know" said Veemon, "Dragon guts."

"Don't call me that" said Gabumon, moodily. Veemon huffed.

"My belly" he said, finally, "Anyway, it was just loading up the gunpowder. When Lorheasmon attacked, I should've just turned around and offed the chup in one gust, mind you, Gatomon probably would make a louder noise, 'bit like Metalgreymon dipping his tail in ice."Gabumon sniggered.

They were within earshot of the prison now, and ceased the fella-talk. They ran into the prison, and found Gatomon locked up. Veemon picked the lock with his sharp blade, and the door swang open. Gabumon banged into the wall because of his half-done treatment, but the others ignored this.

"It's about time" said Gatomon, "What are you doing with those?" she looked at Veemon's swords, "Can't you handle that jerk by yourself?"

"Of course I can" said Veemon, sweatdropping.

"It gives us a better image" said Gabumon.

"It makes you both look stupid, so get rid of them" said Gatomon impatiently, "You know I don't like men who can't look after themselves."

Veemon wanted to retort, but he stopped himself. If he ever was going to redeem himself for Gatomon, he had to understand her language.

"Do you want one too, Gats?" he asked.

"Thank you" said Gatomon, her face changing completely, "Where do you get them from?"

Veemon and Gabumon both sweatdropped, and led her back to the armoury. Gatomon picked up a flashy staff with gold blades at both ends. Gatomon twirled it around, smiling.

"This will do nicely" she said cheerfully.

They ran out of the armoury, and found yet another nemesis. Mandramon was waiting there for them, and Gabumon made to attack.

"Can I handle it?" asked Gatomon, "Sparrow Feather!" she slashed Mandramon into shredded lettuce with her polearm.

"Hey, I wanna go" wined Gabumon, chopping around his Halberd, irritated.

"You can have the first strike against Lorheasmon" promised Veemon.

The three of them walked down the lonely streets, feeling quite sick. Lorheasmon was around here somewhere, and if he found them first, they'd know about it. They ended up walking in one direction as a triangle, hiding their backs.

"There!" yelled Gabumon. Lorheasmon stood in the deserted street, holding two swords this time, the wind blowing against his black cape. He attacked, and the three digimages avoided his blades.

"Mega Homing!" Veemon shot homing beams, much faster than in Epsilon Storm, at Lorheasmon but it only destroyed one of the dark knight's swords, leaving Lorheasmon with only one.

"Hey, you said I could strike first" said Gabumon irritated.

"You can" said Veemon. He had kept his promise. Lorheasmon ran at them, performing extremely tricky combo attacks with his sword. It was hard to see what attacks were fatal and fake, but at last, Lorheasmon struck Gabumon. He was almost knocked out, so he decided to use the last of his energy.

"Ice Wolf Claw!" His horn lit up with blue light and shot one extremely strong beam at Lorheasmon. It pierced right through his armour, and he fell to the ground, but it wasn't over yet. Lorheasmon proved to be a big challenge, because his sword glowed colours, full of digimagic. He changed back into his ordinary self, rusty armour, and as tall as Gabumon.

"It's up to you" whispered Gabumon, and he collapsed.

Veemon and Gatomon were the only digimon left standing, so they assumed positions. Veemon would attack Lorheasmon and defend Gatomon, who would heal him when he was hit. It took ages, and soon Veemon was very tired, but the importance of this fight kept him going. His twin swords were very useful, he parried most of Lorheasmon's strikes, and enjoyed the multi-hit techniques thoroughly. Lorheasmon was almost out, but he ran right up to them and cut a mighty scar through Veemon's chest, and then attempted to attack Gatomon, but Veemon weakly shot lightning.

"Leave...her...alone" he whispered. Lorheasmon turned, and made to attack, aiming at Veemon's head this time.

Without warning, the ground suddenly shook violently, knocking Lorheasmon off course.

"I did say I wanted a swing at him" shrugged Armadillomon, standing at the end of the street, "Get up, Vemo, you look a wreck!"

Gatomon quickly healed Veemon in a shower of sparks.

"You again!" barked Lorheasmon,.

"Yes, me!" said Armadillomon, pressing his thumb against his chest, "If it's alright with the two here, I'd like to get my name in history."

"Be my guest, Arma" said Veemon, "But that means I get one of the others."

"Sure" said Dillomon, "Orion's Belt!" he begun his attack. Three bright stars appeared in the sky, arranged in a line over Armadillomon. They formed a triangle and joined around Lorheasmon. In the triangle, green beams were beginning to shoot around, and finally, Lorheasmon was no more, his sword lay on the street, wedged between two cracks.

"That was great!" cheered Gatomon, "That should get you in the hall of fame for sure!"

"What happened here?" asked Armadillomon, looking at Gabumon, then to Veemon's chest, covered in blood.

"Bit of bad luck" sighed Gatomon, and revived Gabumon, then made to clean Veemon's chest.

"Leave it" said Armadillomon, smiling, "It makes him look more vicious."

"Where's the others?" asked Veemon, grinning slightly at Armadillomon's compliment.

"They're in Barista Gorge" answered Armadillomon, "Zyndromon can't see them there, and we should get there too."

"He got you too didn't he?" asked Gabumon, looking at the mess on Veemon's belly.

"Just a flesh wound" shrugged Veemon, Gatomon snorted.

"Holy Azulonmon!" Dillomon jumped back in surprise. Zyndromon was facing them once again, and she attacked immediately.

"Skin Stoner!" Gabumon and Armadillomon gasped as, with a loud crack of stone, Veemon stopped moving. He was now grey. Gabumon poked him, he was rock solid, turned to stone.

"Divine Hailstorm!" Shards of ice fell from the sky, freezing the other three digimages.

**What fate awaits the immobile digimages? Why is it that Armadillomon learned his high mage spell before the others? Find out in Chapter 18 of Attack of the Necromancers! R&R**


	18. The Sorceress of Darkness

**CHAPTER 18 - The Sorceress of Darkness**

Veemon awoke. He had aching feelings all over his body. When everything came into focus, he saw that Electrodes were attached at the sore spots. He didn't have his swords anymore. He was in a small, dimly lit room, and didn't see the others.

"He's awake" said a voice.

"Good," answered a deep female voice, who was Zyndromon.

Veemon didn't know what happened, but he walked out of the cell. He couldn't control his own legs. He sat down on a chair, and tried to move, but couldn't make any voluntary movements apart from speaking.

"Well, it works after all" said Zyndromon, smiling cruelly, "I now have the legendary Veemon at my disposal, such a privelige it is."

"I'm not at your disposal, you (Veemon called Zyndromon something extremely rude that would make Gatomon slap his face if she heard)."

"Want to bet on that?" asked Zyndromon. Veemon stood up, and for some reason, punched his face very hard. He wasn't controlling his arms anymore, Zyndromon was. He was now just a talking robot for Zyndromon.

"And now, I believe you have some questions to answer" said Zyndromon, and waved her hand. A door opened at the opposite end of the room, and Gatomon walked out, being pushed by a guard. Gatomon bit the guard very hard on the arm, but the guard left her.  
"Veemon!" she yelled, and ran toward them. Zyndromon had Veemon set up Ziedrich, and Gatomon was trapped in her sector of the room.

"She's controlling me, Gats!" called Veemon, "I'm not doing any of it."

"Don't be foolish" said Zyndromon, "I couldn't control you."

Gatomon was confused. Veemon insisted he wouldn't ever attack her, but Zyndromon pointed out that Veemon was too powerful for her to control, and he was acting by his own means.

"I - am - NOT - doing - anything" growled Veemon, seething.

"Now, question one" began Zyndromon, "You like Gatomon don't you?" Veemon blinked. What was he supposed to say?

"You wouldn't let anything happen to her would you?" asked Zyndromon.

"No" said Veemon, honestly.

"Good" said Zyndromon, "Question two, where are the other members of your little team?"

"I don't know" said Veemon. Zyndromon sneered, and pressed a button. Veemon felt small electrical currents in his body, and he raised his hand. His V rune glowed, and he fired his laser at Gatomon. She screamed, and then kneeled down, very weak.

"YOU!" Veemon started a large swearing fit, but Zyndromon raised his hand again, and he stopped, looking tragic.

"Where are the others?" asked Zyndromon again.

"Don't tell her" called Gatomon, weakly.

"Silence!" snapped Zyndromon, then turned back to Veemon, "Well?" Veemon didn't say anything, so Zyndromon raised his hand again, his V rune glowed.

"ALRIGHT!" he yelled, Zyndromon releasing the grip on his hand.

"They're" began Veemon, breathing heavily, "They're in..."

"Don't tell that hag!" shouted Gatomon, tears falling out of her eyes, "Please..."

"Silence!" barked Zyndromon, and cast a mute spell on Gatomon. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Veemon thought she wouldn't be able to tolerate another hit, it was either Gatomon dies, or the others suffer the wrath of Zyndromon. Neither were very good choices, but he had to make one. He could lie to Zyndromon, that way she would think that the others were in the wrong place, and go all the way there and back again, but he didn't like the chances of his or Gatomon's survival if she did come back, but he had to give it a shot.

"They're in Megrhea" said Veemon, Zyndromon laughed, and raised his hand again.

"Don't lie" she warned, "You have five seconds. Five." Veemon felt extremely stressed, he didn't know what to do.

"Four," His V rune began to glow again.

"Three."

"I'm sorry fellas" whispered Veemon under his breath.

"Two!" said Zyndromon, with a little bit of emphasis.

"Gomes, Elex, Biyomon, Gabba, Arma, I'm so sorry" said Veemon quietly.

"One!" barked Zyndromon, "Well?"

"They're in Barista Gorge" said Veemon, looking down.

"Very good," said Zyndromon, and she left the room. The electrodes popped out of Veemon, and he fell to the ground. He couldn't move before because of some sort of effect from the petrify spell. Gatomon limped up to him.  
"I'm sorry" gulped Veemon, holding back tears.

"Never mind" said Gatomon, gently, "We need to find the others."

"We'll never make it" sniffed Veemon.

"There has to be a way," said Gatomon. She healed Veemon from the stiff effect, and they both looked around the room. To their end, it was full of controls, but the other end was empty except for one door.

"That goes nowhere" said Gatomon, "What do these do?"

"No idea" said Veemon, not wanting to touch the buttons because he might accidentally cause something bad to happen, after all, this was Zyndromon's joint.

"Let's see" said Gatomon, and examined the buttons. Veemon didn't understand what they said, but Gatomon did.

"This one says selfdestruct, better not touch that one then, um, Misigni? What does that mean? Ah! Teleport! Perfect!"

Gatomon pressed the teleport button, and the screen flashed up, in the same bizarre language that only Gatomon could read.

"Grr!" growled Veemon, "What does it say?" Gatomon read the words out loud for Veemon's sake.

"Enter destination" she read, and typed in the words 'Barista Gorge'.

"20... 19... okay, Vee, we need to find the teleporter"

The two of them looked around the room, and didn't find the teleporter.

"3...2...1... Teleporting" read the screen. A flash of light came from the bare area of the room.

"Why didn't she just use the teleporter?" asked Veemon.

"Maybe she didn't want us to find out about it" suggested Gatomon.

"How do you know this language?" asked Veemon.

"I learned it from Myotismon" said Gatomon, frowning. Veemon didn't ask anything else. Gatomon reset the teleporter, and they ran to the bare area of the room. They saw a flash of light, and were in the familiar area of Barista Gorge. Zyndromon hadn't arrived yet.

"Gatomon! Venu...Hali...Ginsi...Bismon!" yelled Gomamon, panting as he ran toward them. Veemon blinked, Gomamon's inaccuracy of his name wasn't this bad before.

"We need to get ready" called Gatomon, "Zyndromon's coming!"

"Ih... Buh... What happened?" asked Gomamon. Gatomon explained what just happened, and Gomamon nodded.

"Okay! Everyone get ready!" called Gomamon, "The old hag's coming."

"The old hag's here" said a deep female voice, and Zyndromon appeared.

"It's time to finish you all off" she boomed coldly, "But, I must admit, it was an honour fighting such worthy opponents."

They fought, and fought hard.

"Aurora Solstice!" Gomamon threw a ball of rainbow light at Zyndromon, she avoided it.

"Holy Wind!" Gomamon was burned and knocked over by the holy wind. Elecmon tended to him, and felt his pulse, nothing. He tried to heal Gomamon, but Zyndromon flew up to Elecmon, and used a wind attack to first have him up in the air and then crash down to the ground, down and out.

"Magic Lightstorm!" Gatomon summoned a rain of beams from the sky, and they pummelled Zyndromon, but she recovered and hit Gatomon with a dark beam.

"Zephyr Breeze!" Biyomon shot around Zyndromon at light speed, but Zyndromon swung her spear at exactly the right moment, and Biyomon was struck down. The fight was absolutely lost now. Armadillomon set up a barrier in front of Gabumon, but he was also smacked down. Veemon took a deep breath and begun to attack, a green shield appeared in front of him.

"Proxima..."

"Shade Spear!" Zyndromon flew at top speed, her spear aimed right at Veemon. Gabumon flinched, as the Proxima Screen faded, Veemon made a final gasp before falling limp, Zyndromon flung him off her spear, a grisly sight. Gabumon was the only one left standing. It was hopeless. Even if he could defeat Zyndromon, he'd have to face Bardmon alone. All his allies lay around, a sickening sight. Gabumon sighed, one tear fell out of his eye.

"Do you surrender?" asked Zyndromon, aiming her spear at Gabumon. He didn't answer, he just remembered all the good moments he had while on the team. A familiar scene came to him. He was in Myotismon's old library, reading a book on time spells.

"Can even turn back time? Wow, I need to learn this!" Gabumon was struck with an idea, he focused, and used up all his energy.

"Time Reverse!" the scene swirled, faster and faster. Images of the past situation flew past, and then the swirling slowed down. Everyone was back, and facing Zyndromon.

"Déjà vu?" asked Elecmon, "This scene seems familiar."

"I'll tell you later" said Gabumon, "I can see exactly when Zyndromon will attack, so listen up."

"Aurora Solstice!"

"Gomes, aim to the left!" yelled Gabumon. Gomamon blinked, but threw the light slightly to the left. Zyndromon tried to avoid it, but it hit her. She was severely blown.

"Arma! Set up a shield for Gomes!" called Gabumon.

"Moon Curtain!" Gomamon was protected as Zyndromon fired her holy wind attack. It did nothing.

"Gats, don't attack!" Gatomon was about to use her magic Lightstorm, but she obeyed Gabumon.

"Byz, Divert her!" called Gabumon. The battle was going much better this time around. Gabumon knew what was going on, and nothing surprised him.

"We'll use the combo, Vemo" said Gabumon. Veemon nodded, and got ready. They stood back to back, and raised their nearest hand to Zyndromon.

"Garuru..."

"...Vee..."

"...Oblivion!"

Zyndromon looked at them, just as Garuruvee Oblivion began. Biyomon flew away, and Zyndromon's world collapsed in on itself, crushing her to a pinprick. All the allies gathered around Gabumon.

"How did you know?" asked Gatomon. Gabumon explained how they had fought Zyndromon before. Everyone was confused until Gabumon told them about his Time Reverse, and they all understood.

"So, we all died in our first battle?" summarised Veemon, "I wonder what it felt like?"

"Dying?" asked Elecmon,

"No, I already know what dying feels like" said Veemon, "I mean defeat, finally losing a battle."

Gabumon nodded, and sighed, "Just one Necromancer to go. Whoo! I look forward to a nice vacation when this is over."

"Where do you plan to go?" asked Biyomon, "The mountains again?"

"Who wouldn't want solitide when they've been putting up with you for a month?" asked Elecmon. Biyomon's wing mark didn't show too well on his red facial fur.

"Hey, what's this?" asked Gomamon, looking at Zyndromon's empty robe, "It's a weird crystal." He picked up a small pointed crystal that was clear at first, but immediately changed to deep blue.

"Can I have a look?" asked Gatomon, taking the crystal. It changed to milky white.

"Weird!" she exclaimed, "I wonder what it does? It changes colour for everyone who touches it."

"Give me a go" said Gabumon, Gatomon gave him the crystal, and it changed to pale blue. They all touched the crystal, it changed to gold for Elecmon, green for Armadillomon, a sort of grey for Biyomon, but when Veemon touched it, it went all funny and showed seven colours - red, green, gold, light blue, dark blue, silver and white were swirling around the crystal.

"I know what this is" said Elecmon, clicking his claws, but made a weird sound, "It's an elemental crystal! Gennai said that it's supposed to be used in the Unison Enchant!"

"How do we use it though?" asked Gomamon, staring at the crystal in Veemon's hand, it was like a lava lamp.

"No idea" sighed Elecmon, "But I think Vemo has to use it though, you know, he knows all seven elements, yudda, yudda."

**What precisely is the Unison Enchant? What new powers will Veemon obtain from the crystal? How long will it take for the digimages to finish off Bardmon and end their tedious journey? Find out in Chapter 19 of Attack of the Necromancers! R&R**


	19. The High Mages

**CHAPTER 19 - The High Mages**

The digimages decided to search for Bardmon rather than let him find them. They walked across the mountains, and found the most unlikely group going in the opposite direction.

"What are you fellas doing here?" asked Gomamon.

"We were cursed by Bardmon" said one digimon gloomily, who Gabumon recognised as Gatsumon, who looked like a three-foot version of Gneissmon, but was reasonably good ,"We know you, you're the Digidestined digimon. Where are the humans?"

"We're cursed too" sighed Veemon, "The humans aren't even in the digital world"

"So, you're fighting Bardmon all by yourselves?" asked another, who Biyomon knew as Saphenamon, who had round ears and orange striped fur, and stood taller than Gabumon. She opened her mouth again, but Armadillomon explained about digimagic and the new power chart.

"You think we can use digimagic too?" asked a yellow digimon who looked a bit like Gomamon in his Aqua mode, but her hind legs were one tail, "My name's Orpheumon by the way" she noticed Gomamon and was looking interested. Gomamon looked uneasy.

"Maybe" said Gabumon, "It'll take a while."

"They'll be fine, I learned it without a digivice" said Armadillomon, "Elecmon here only had trouble because he had no inspiration."

"Yeah, and no tutor" added Elecmon, "But with the seven of us you should be okay."

"We can start right away" said Gatomon, "Bardmon's not doing anything at the moment, so we might as well train up some more troops."

"There's a good spot over there" pointed out Betamon, an amphibian digimon with green skin, a white underside, orange stripes and hair, and had talons on the ends of his four legs. He indicated a large meadow.

"Why aren't there much meadows on Earth?" asked Gomamon, "Every flat bit of ground has human buildings on it."

"Ask a human" shrugged Kayetomon, the last one. He was very similar to Saphenamon, except he was more burly, and had yellow fur.

The digimages began training at midday, and beefed up their skills. There were grumpy Ultimate digimon in the meadow, which gave them the chance to practice. Gatsumon was being tutored by Armadillomon on Earth digimagic, Betamon and Orpheumon were listening, interested, on what Gomamon and Gabumon had to say about ice and water digimagic, and Saphenamon and Kayetomon were being shown lightning, fire and holy digimagic by the other four. Soon, they were all doing fine, and challenged the grumpy digimon in the field to practice. Gatomon didn't like the idea much, so she sat to watch Kayetomon use a Holy Province attack on a Mammothmon.

"Aah! I've done it wrong!" cried Saphenamon. A large green sphere appeared in her hand, and she was shaking it about, trying to get it off.

"NO! SAPHENAMON! YOU'LL KILL US ALL!" screamed Biyomon. Kayetomon kicked the sphere out of Saphenamon's hand, and it made a massive explosion in the sky.

"Sorry" muttered Saphenamon.

"That's fine, just throw it at bad guy next time" panted Kayetomon.

Soon, the recently digimages got the hang of digimagic, and they all went off to practice, giving the other seven time to practice their digimagic. Gomamon and Armadillomon were making everyone else jealous by showing off their Ultimate spells. Gabumon was a bit more subtle in his practice.

"Smart-alecs" muttered Biyomon, "There's only four Necromancers, and they got to practice..." she stood in her flying mode, ready to try out her technique. She accelerated to very high speed, and flew all around the meadow, looking successful at first, but she crashed at high velocity into the ground. Everyone let out a great 'ooh!' in sympathy. Biyomon simply healed herself and got ready to try again.

"Star Fighter!"

She did it correctly this time, and everyone applaused, it was a magnificent attack. Biyomon tried it again on an enemy digimon and finished him off without trouble.

"Biyomon, you're not supposed to finish them off" scolded Elecmon.

"Oh, sorry" muttered Biyomon, "He just called me a buzzard."

Gomamon looked very awkward at that statement, and practiced his energy-reducing spell. Gabumon tried, but he couldn't use his Time Reverse spell again.

"Why isn't it working?" he asked.

"It can only ever be used once" explained Elecmon, "That's okay, that one time was not a waste, Gabba, you couldn't do anything else to save the day."

"Yeah, you're right" sighed Gabumon, "So what will my new high mage spell now?"

"Got no idea" shrugged Elecmon, "Maybe you could try roaring? That might be good, I read about it in Myotismon's library, you can use some sort of roaring attack and it triggers stuff."

"Okay, I'll try that" nodded Gabumon, and took a deep breath.

Everyone on the meadow was temporarily distracted from the loud roar that made their eardrums rattle. They all stormed up to Gabumon and roared back, Gatomon particularly because she had found her Ultimate spell, and stuffed it up.

"No, that's okay, Gats" said Armadillomon, after Gatomon told Gabumon off, "You can do it again, we'll watch."

Gatomon huffed, and stood ready. She was in her wizardess mode again, because she seemed to be able to attack easier. She raised her paws, and began an attack similar to Gomamon's Aurora, but it was much stronger. A nearby Darktyrannomon looked to see a blinding white sphere above him, before...

"Holy Corona!"

It was too bright to see the effect of the light, but when it faded, Darktyrannomon was no more. Gatomon made a wise choice.

"Angel Descension!"

The data collected, and a tiny red digimon known as Punimon appeared where the big black dinosaur once stood. Punimon bounced across the meadow to safety.

"Alright! I'm a High Mage!" shouted Gatomon with pleasure, "Come on, Elexi! Show us what you've got!"

"Um... okay" said Elecmon. He was nervous, because his attempts at his Ultimate spell were all failures, but he had a good idea of what it would do.

"Stand right back!" he called, "This is very dangerous."

Everyone walked backwards for about fifty feet, and watched. Elecmon sighed, and concentrated. A dark cloud appeared overhead, and massive thunderclaps sounded from it.

"Reign of Thunder!" Suddenly, about fifty bolts of lightning shot from the cloud, absolutely electrifying everything within forty feet of Elecmon. He was struck several times, but it didn't bother him. When the cloud cleared, Elecmon sighed out of relief.

"What about you?" asked Gomamon, turning to Veemon, "You learned yours yet?" Veemon looked down, he hadn't been able to use Dragon Eclipse.

"Come on, Vee" said Gatomon, optimistically, "At least try."

"Okay" sighed Veemon, and turned to face a Kuwagamon. He raised his hand, and a runed mandala appeared on the ground, rotating slowly.

"Dragon Eclipse!"

The mandala transformed suddenly into the fierce head of a dragon, but the head faded without any effect on Kuwagamon, who was making a funny noise. It sounded a lot like a laugh.

"Hey, it's okay, Teemon" soothed Gomamon, "You'll get it right one day. Maybe this thing has something to do with it?"

Gomamon indicated the elemental crystal. Veemon wore it around his neck.

"Well, you won't get it right by counting your toes" pointed out Orpheumon, "Try it again."

Veemon tried it again another five times, but he still could do nothing but give Kuwagamon a tickling. Gatomon blasted the insect away because she was getting annoyed at the laughing, and a little green blob bounced away off the meadow.

"Hey, Vemo" said Gabumon quietly, walking up to him, "You look exhausted, never mind, you can try again tomorrow."

"Yeah... right" panted Veemon, who had used up a lot of energy, "I'll never know... how to do it... on my own..."

"What are you saying?" asked Elecmon.

"Gennai? Piximon? Wizardmon? They might... be able to help..." began Veemon.

"Stop being so pathetic" snapped Gatomon, "Who finished Kilhamon? Who got rid of Oriomon? Who makes Bardmon wet himself? Who defeated Doomon without digimagic and after he cast a death spell?"

"What?" spluttered Biyomon, "Is that true?"

"Libra!" Gatomon restored Veemon's energy, "Now show everyone why I don't kick your blue butt." Veemon smirked nervously.

"And what is this little party here?"

"Oh... (Gabumon's exclamation made everyone stare at him)" The digimages looked, and saw a very familiar digimon hovering over the meadow.

"This is the third super-villain-that-we've-already-defeated-before that's turned up this week" sighed Biyomon, "Why are they all turning up now?"

"Because... Bardmon has control over the Tree of Life" thought Elecmon aloud, "And he's reviving all the bad guys."

"That is correct" said Devimon.

"And, my friend Bardmon has also granted me the power of digimagic" added Devimon, "finally, I get to have my vengeance. Now let's see who will be deceased today.

"Magic Crush!"

Suddenly, Devimon disabled Gatomon's digimagic. The reality of the situation loomed over the digimon. They were all exhausted from their practice, and Gatomon couldn't replenish their energy. Nobody could attack, except Veemon.

"Ceemon! Show this (Gomamon used a particularly nasty word here) who's boss!"

"Xantes Blast!"

"Dark Force!" Devimon created a black mist that made Veemon's beam fade into nothing.

"Ebony Flare!" Devimon shot a black fireball at Veemon. Its effect was most unpleasant.

"This was quite an easy battle, I'm sure the digital world will look much better once it has been put under my control" said Devimon, raising his clawed hand, and a black sphere formed. Veemon thought at lightspeed. If he popped his clogs, the others couldn't defend themselves because they were too exhausted. He was the only thing stopping the digital world from being as good as destroyed. Veemon stood upright, and felt a massive energy coming from him. The crystal glowed very brightly. In the light, Veemon looked more like a dragon than any other time.

"Dragon Eclipse!" The mandala appeared below Devimon again, and did not fade like last time. It rotated, glowing stronger until the fierce image of a dragon skull appeared. Veemon's crystal glowed rainbow again, and fired seven streamers of light, each a colour of the rainbow. The streamers circled around Devimon, so bright that the dark sphere faded. Finally, the streamers united into one ball of glittering light, making the entire scene go white. Only the Dragon's Crest below Devimon's vapourising body could be seen and only his painful screams could be heard. The light faded and the scene returned to normal, minus Devimon.

"See? I said you could do it" smiled Gatomon, proudly.

"Aww, great, now I'm at the bottom again" groaned Gomamon.

"No, we're all at the same level now" said Gabumon, "I suppose Bardmon's shaking in his pointy boots now. Up against seven high mages? He should quit now."

"Yeah, we wish" sighed Veemon, "But these fellas are so persistant... aw well, let's just hunt him down."

"I'm sick of walking" moaned Gomamon, "We'll just wait for him to attack us, and then we'll finish him off in one go."

"Be careful though" added Gatomon, "He can finish any one of us off in one go, with that Roulette trick."

"You can just revive them though" pointed out Gomamon, "But what if he gets you?"

"He'll have to finish me off before anything happens to Gats" said Veemon, proudly. Gomamon raised his eyebrows, and Gatomon smiled.

"We've got him running scared now" pointed out Armadillomon, "He's alone against seven high mages, and five masters, he won't stand a chance, and he's no fool... er... I mean idiot, he's the biggest fool I've ever seen." There was scattered sniggering.

"So what do we do?" summarised Orpheumon, "Do we hunt him down?"

"No, I've got a better idea" smiled Veemon, "We just go about the world casually, then he'll get so angry for not being able to take over, he'll have to have the last round against us."

"Yeah, I like that idea better" agreed Gomamon, "A lot less walking too" he sat down on the grass and relaxed.

"Gomamon, you're such a tool" muttered Biyomon, as Gomamon yawned and crossed his legs.

"Hey, since we're all here, why don't we try that Unison Enchant?" suggested Elecmon.

"Gennai did encourage us to do so."

"Yeah, no matter how weird that guy is, he's always right" agreed Gatomon, "We can do it tomorrow if that's okay."

The digimages set up camp, extremely tired from their rapid advance up the chart.

**Will they get Unison Enchant right tomorrow? Does Bardmon really stand a chance against them? How will the arrival of the new digimages affect their journey? Why does Orpheumon fancy Gomamon? Find out in chapter 20 of Attack of the Necromancers! R&R**


	20. Best in a Team

CHAPTER 20 - Best in a team

They all woke up smoothly the next morning, mainly because Gatomon actually listened to Veemon's grumbling about ridiculous wake-up calls, so she decided to sing to get them all awake. After breakfast, they were ready to use the Unison seven High Mages stood in a line. The five masters watched.

"What now?" asked Biyomon,

"We use our elements on Vemo" answered Gabumon, "That's what Gennai said"

"We attack Veemon?" asked Biyomon, "Yeah, that's okay"

"Time Out!" called Gatomon. She turned to Biyomon, "What do you mean, attack him?"

"What's going on?" asked Veemon, "Who's attacking me?"

"Nobody" said Gatomon firmly, "That just doesn't sound right... where's Gennai when you need him?"

They all paused awkwardly, expecting Gennai to appear. He didn't,

"Batty old coot" muttered Gatomon, kicking a stone out of frustration.

"Hey! I'm not batty" wheezed a voice. Gatomon turned around, and saw nobody else but Gennai. He wasn't the young, tall man he was before, but he was four feet tall, and looked like a japanese wizard, like he did for the old digidestined.

"Oh, er... hi" said Gatomon, awkwardly,

"Gennai! How come you changed again?" asked Gabumon, breaking the awkward moment again,

"Oh, this has become a sort of cycle now" sighed Gennai, "One year, I'm the cake boy, the next, I'm the old coot"

Gatomon blushed. Gennai looked around at them all,

"Well, you've all become truly powerful now" he said clearly. He had probably rehearsed this time, which was a good sign, since he won't drift off subject as usual, "You're all high mages now, and you have five allies as well, excellent, plus I see you have the elemental crystal in your possession. All there is to do in your mission is to finish off Bardmon, and that shouldn't be a challenge for you, as long as you stay together, though since Bardmon's at Master level, and you're a level higher, even one of you could do the trick..."

Armadillomon coughed, and Gennai shook his head,

"Sorry, off subject there, I'm always like this when I'm like this..."

"Get on with it" said Biyomon, impatiently. Gennai paused for a moment to remember where he was,

"Ah, yes... well, um... Bardmon may not be the end to the problem, as you all know, there has been many twists in your previous battles. When Piedmon was defeated, Apocalymon showed up, and something similar happened with Arukenimon and Mummymon. There is a good chance that after Bardmon is defeated, the creator of the Necromancers and their family will show up, and I doubt even your High Mage spells will have an effect on the creator" he paused, everyone was listening with silent breath, "That is why you must unite your digimagic into one spell, and I see you have already discovered the minor form of this uniting, your dual combinations"

"So, even Garuvee Oblivion was just a minor form?" asked Betamon, "The top one is Unison Enchant, what these seven fellas do"

"That's right" nodded Gennai, and repeated what Aldumon had told Veemon. Everyone nodded.

"Any questions?" asked Gennai. All the digimages were shocked, Gennai would normally just vanish and let them to their own devices, but Veemon's suspicions of Gennai giving them special tutoring because of the humans' absence was confirmed.

"Who's gonna be the eighth high mage?" asked Orpheumon,

"Yeah, I've been wondering that too" said Veemon, looking slightly irritated, "How the heck are we supposed to use this thing with just the seven of us"

"Ah, yes, that's what I forgot" said Gennai. Everyone made an exasperated huff.

"Which one of you masters may use Fire digimagic?" asked Gennai, turning to the new digimages.

"Just me" said Saphenamon. Gennai walked up to her,

"In that case, Saphenamon, you need to train to become a high mage" said Gennai, "It's the only way to use the spell"

Saphenamon looked awkward, but nodded. The digimages finally sighed with relief. Saphenamon was going to be the eigth one.

"Any other questions?" asked Gennai,

"Yeah, um, what do you mean, use our elements on Vemo?" asked Gabumon,

"Who?" asked Gatomon, confused. Gabumon blushed,

"He means, in what way are the others supposed to use their elements on me?" asked Veemon. Gennai looked deep in thought,

"You not necessarily use an attack" he said, "But a special technique that only distributes the power of the element, not the secondary effects associated with your normal attacks"

"Oh...kay" said Gomaon, slowly, "In english that means..."

"You use an elemental... technique that isn't supposed to damage, like in attacks, but just to use the power" said Elecmon. Gomamon still looked confused, but shrugged, guessing it'll waste too much time translating it further.

"Very well, let's begin" said Gennai. Gatomon had enough, she walked up to Gennai, needing an answer.

"Why are you tutoring us?" she asked, "You didn't do this before"

"That is because the humans were here before" said Gennai, "And humans like to solve their own problems, because they're much wiser and seek further knowledge. In this case, however, we are missing the humans, so I must help you myself"

"Ah, I see" said Gatomon, slowly, and stood in position,

"Now, to use the elemental power" said Gennai, loudly, standing centrally, "Concentrate hard on your element, Veemon, don't worry, just be prepared to endure"

Everyone shut their eyes, concentrating.

"Now, we'll use a special order for the technique, just to make things easier" continued Gennai, "Elecmon, you're up first"

Elecmon fired a golden beam at Veemon. He didn't flinch, and the golden beam remained connected.

"Armadillomon, you're next"

Armadillomon used a green beam. Gennai told Gatomon, Biyomon, then Gabumon to use their elements. Veemon was connected to five elements now, and just needed his least favorite one now, water.

"Gomamon, just give it a try" called Gennai. Gomamon looked very awkward, and used a dark blue beam.

"AH!" yelled Veemon, "Stop it!"

Gomamon broke the connection immediately. Veemon fell to one knee,

"I thought Aldumon tutored you to endure the elements" scolded Gennai,

"It's not my fault" gulped Veemon, "Lorheasmon murdered Aldumon before we covered Water"

"I see" said Gennai, without any sympathy, "Well, there is only one thing you can do to use the Unison Enchant, and that is to learn to endure water... the hard way"

Gennai turned, leaving Veemon feeling miserable. Right now, he would rather be drowning in the marsh than being forced to take the lesson, like a schoolboy sitting outside the headmaster's office after setting a room on fire.

"When everything goes alright, you know what to do" said Gennai, and vanished.

"I don't know why you're so worked up about water" sighed Gomamon, "Well, if we're ever gonna try out this final technique, Weemon..."

"DARN IT! WHY CAN'T YOU GET IT RIGHT?" exploded Veemon,

"Geez! Sorry" muttered Gomamon, "Is it... er..." Elecmon and Gabumon stood on either of Gomamon's feet.

"This is gonna be really hard" whispered Elecmon, "Poor fella, he's been dragged down by his weaknesses, and that's one of the worst pains in the world"

"Right" said Gabumon, quickly, not understanding Elecmon's train of thought, "What we've gotta do is help Vemo to endure water..."

"Why do you call him Vemo?" asked Gomamon, curiously,

"Easier" shrugged Gabumon, "You should call him that too, I think he's getting cheesed off with you for getting his name wrong all the time",

"Yeah, I can say Vemo" nodded Gomamon, "Thanks"

Gabumon resumed thinking, "Um, swimming lessons won't work, they're too embarrassing..."

Veemon stood up, and walked in their direction,

"Sorry I yelled, Gomes," he apologised to Gomamon, "I'm just a bit tense, you know, Aldumon"

"I don't know" pointed out Gomamon, "Who is Aldumon anyway?"

Veemon sighed, and told the three of them what happened when they were separated on the Viaduct. They had a reaction similar to Gatomon's, when the bit with Lorheasmon came,

"No wonder" said Gabumon, thoughtfully, "I'm..."

"Hey, there's no need to apologise" smiled Veemon, "Anyway, we've got more important things to worry about, like how this stupid water thing's gonna work" he broke off, looking down

"You don't have to do this alone" said Elecmon, kindly, "We'll all learn how to endure our weak points"

"Really?" asked Veemon, looking up,

"Yeah, it's something we all have to do" added Gabumon, "We don't want everyone to come along and say, "Oh, this fella looks strong, but just use fire, he'll go out like a light""

"Okay then, when do we start?" asked Veemon,

"After lunch"

Veemon turned away, looking brighter than he did for a long while. The other three went about, telling what they were doing. They all looked reluctant at first, but realised it wouldn't be so tough if everyone else was going to face their fears as well. The digimages had lunch, it was food found in Maplehurst that Gabumon had kept, plus a few berries found by Saphenamon. Everyone looked at the berries, and decided not to eat them again, Saphenamon was quite offended, but Veemon, who hadn't suffered the illness of the last batch, tasted one, and found it to be delicious, unlike the bitter ones Armadillomon had tried. Everyone else reluctantly tried the berries, and enjoyed them a lot.

After lunch, they all organized themselves for training. One digimage would use an elemental spell on the other, and either Gatomon, Biyomon or Elecmon would stand by if anything got nasty. First up was Saphenamon, who used fire spells on Gabumon. He took five before their effects began to reduce. Next was Gomamon, who would use a magic waterfall. Veemon didn't take it very well at first, he needed CPR, which created a lot of nudging and winking. Gomamon drained his lungs with a special spell, and Veemon stood up again to take the water. He was enduring it better and better. Elecmon stood up next, to give Gomamon a good zapping. He had to mode change to his Aqua mode too, he was stronger against lightning in his land mode. Slowly, the digimages rotated to beef up their endurance, until they finally got it. All thirteen digimages could now resist their weak points, just as dusk fell,

"Hey, dusk's fallen" pointed out Gomamon,

"From where?" asked Gatsumon, confused,

"Gomamon, go be stupid somewhere else" grumbled Biyomon,

"Why don't you buzz off and bug someone else?" retorted Gomamon. Biyomon thumped him and stormed away,

"I can't win" whined Gomamon. Gatsumon shrugged and left. Orpheumon came over,

"Hi" she said quietly, sitting next to him. Gomamon was confused, was Orpheumon serious?

"The stars look pretty tonight" sighed Orpheumon, giving Gomamon the hint,

"Yeah, they do don't they?" answered Gomamon, automatically, supposing he should at least try for a girl. Orpheumon wasn't the womon of his dreams, but he was still willing.

"I suppose it would be even nicer with your Aurora" said Orpheumon, turning to look at him, Gomamon nodded.

"Aurora Gate!"

Orpheumon was very impressed. Aurora swirled around in the sky, looking like magical curtains sweeping in the wind.

"That's so beautiful" she whispered in awe. Gomamon seemed to be playing his cards right. Another thought occurred to him, it seemed Orpheumon really liked him, they'd only met yesterday, and he supposed she was quite willing if she wanted to make the first move. The Aurora continued to wave around in the sky, and the two seal digimon watched it, transfixed.

"So" she said quietly, "Is this love at first sight?"

"I suppose it is" answered Gomamon, thinking he'd better make conversation fast, "You like Aurora don't you?" he asked,

"Yeah, I do" answered Orpheumon, "It's so... magical. It takes my mind off reality"

"Me too" sighed Gomamon. His heart was racing faster than ever before. He never thought that he'd be in this position before, most girls hate him. He supposed that since Orpheumon had called in early before she took the time to observe him, like what most other girls do, but Orpheumon seemed special, different from any other girl he knew. Perhaps this one was the one for him?

"Do you remember when we first met?" asked Orpheumon,

"What?" asked Gomamon,

"Have you forgotten?" asked Orpheumon, looking up,

"Err... no I haven't!" spluttered Gomamon. He had met Orpheumon five years ago, after Apocalymon was defeated. They had a few laughs back then, but a week after they met, Orpheumon was swept away in a storm, and they didn't meet again,

"Yeah, I remember" nodded Gomamon, "In the river"

"That's it" nodded Orpheumon, "It took you a few days to grow up, but after that, we swam and lived for a little while in your secret garden"

There was a special growth of coral in a place underwater only Gomamon knew about. His memory flooded back to him, how could he have forgotten?

"I've been looking all over the world for you" continued Orpheumon, "Then Bardmon came along and cursed me just for fun. I suppose that change is for the better" she sighed, "Otherwise I'd probably be in the ocean, looking for you still"

"I've really missed you" said Gomamon. Before, he had an empty feeling inside him, but now, it was filled, "And now, we'll be back together"

He was still angry at himself for forgetting about Orpheumon all these years, but she leaned against him affectionately.

"I'm glad I've found you again" she whispered.

It was peaceful night on the meadow, and the digimages had a good sleep. Gomamon went back to camp, and tapped Veemon's shoulder. He was writing in the journal. He shut it with a snap and looked up.

"What?" he asked, moodily,

"Um, would you mind... if er..." began Gomamon, feeling uncomfortable under Veemon's cross gaze,

"Would I mind if what?" asked Veemon, looking less angry,

"Can I write a diary entry?" asked Gomamon, finally, Veemon just looked at him,

"Because... I feel really... strange right now, and I want to record this feeling" said Gomamon, Veemon still looked at him, but in a less disgusted way,

"I promise I won't look at your diary entries" added Gomamon, hastily,

"Okay" sighed Veemon, "But you've got to take the oath"

"Oath?" asked Gomamon,

"Yeah. Anyone who writes in this diary has to take an oath" said Veemon, standing up, "Repeat after me"

"I swear upon the blood that now runs through my veins, and my monlihood, that I will not read any entries written by anyone else apart from mine. If I did, may the writer be granted the right to..."

His description of exactly what the right said was a bit much to stomach.

"That's gross" said Gomamon, flinching "But I guess it's fair"

He took the oath, and Veemon turned to a spare page. He gave Gomamon a pen and looked away. Gomamon wrote down his feelings about Orpheumon and also a bit of this whole ordeal against the Necromancers. He upheld his oath and shut the diary. Veemon resumed writing his own entry, not daring sneaking a look at Gomamon's, since he had said the oath too. He also wrote in the very start of the book, under a written version of the oath, Gomamon's name, under his own.

Gatomon sang a funny song this morning, making everyone snigger, Nobody could eat breakfast, their stomachs were twitching too much.

"What were you and Orpheumon doing on the hill last night, Gomes?" asked Gabumon, quietly,

"Nothing special" said Gomamon, quickly,

"She's your girlfriend isn't she?" asked Dillomon,

"Yeah, she is" sighed Gomamon, "We met five years ago..." he told them the story.

"I never knew you to be a romance, Gomes" chuckled Dillomon,

"Hey, at least I've got one" retorted Gomamon, in his old, cheeky way. They stopped their conversation,

"Anyway, what's going on today?" asked Biyomon, stretching,

"I need to become a high mage" said Saphenamon,

"Ho-kay" sighed Veemon, knowing this would be no walk in the park,

"Can we try out for high mages too?" asked Gatsumon,

"Don't see why not" shrugged Elecmon, then smiled, "I'd like to see the look on Bardmon's face when he knows he's up against twelve high mages!"

"But first, lets have breakfast" said Biyomon, "What's there?"

"Nothing I can see" said Armadillomon, "Please tell me that Gabba has something in his fur"

"Unless you like fleas, I've got nothing" said Gabumon, "We haven't been in a town for ages"

"Elex, where's the nearest town?" asked Veemon. Elecmon rolled out his map,

"It's called Mulgowie... wow, just an hour away" said Elecmon,

"If it's just an hour, why can't we see it?" asked Biyomon, logically. They were on a large plain, and couldn't see any towns,

"We take a Trailmon" said Elecmon, simply,

"A what?"

"Trailmon run on tracks all over the digital world" explained Betamon, "They run like human world trains"

"Oh, I see" nodded Gatomon, "There's a track over there" she pointed to parallel bars running along the ground many yards away, "But where's a station?"

"Is that it?" asked Kayetomon, pointing to a small trapezoid platform,

"I think so, but where do we get tickets?" asked Gomamon,

"We'll work it out when we get there" said Veemon, walking toward the station,

"Hey hang on, why do we want to go to Mulgowie?" asked Gatomon,

"We can't do anything until we eat" shrugged Veemon, "And there's nothing around here" he continued. The others followed him,

"Well, I never!" said a loud voice

"Who said that?" asked Gatomon, but Gomamon, Gabumon, Betamon, Elecmon, Gatsumon and Biyomon recognised that voice.

"Leomon!"

"WHOA!" Veemon, Armadillomon, Kayetomon, Orpheumon, Gatomon and Saphenamon all jumped a foot in the air when they turned around, Leomon had scared them, which was no surprise because he was a seven foot tall digimon with a mane of wily red hair, giant fists, and had an armed scabbard tied to his severed brown trousers. His face was quite scary, but he was an okay Vaccine digimon that helped the older digimon seven years ago.

"It is so good to see you again" said Leomon, smiling,

"How are you, Leomon?" asked Gabumon,

"Very fatigued" sighed Leomon, "I had to run from the Tree of Life when Bardmon took it over. I couldn't do anything, I only recently digivolved into my champion form. I can't digivolve at will anymore, the energy from the humans' digivices was lost seven years ago. Where are the humans by the way?"

"They're not in the digital world" answered Gomamon,

"But how can you digivolve and defeat Bardmon?" asked Leomon, turning to Gomamon, "Hey, how come you've got legs, Gomamon?"

"Mode change" answered Gomamon, "We don't need a digivice for that"

"So, you are fighting Bardmon by yourselves this time?" asked Leomon, "I assume the others are with you. I know Gatsumon and Betamon, but the others I don't"

Everyone was introduced, and they went to the platform. Leomon was going to Mulgowie as well.

"What do we do now?" asked Armadillomon,

"We wait" said Elecmon, and sat on a bench,

"Don't we need tickets?" asked Gatomon, "I don't see any machines or guys who sell them"

"They make you pay to get on board" explained Betamon, "It's a lot less bother than mucking around with tickets"

"Do we have enough money?" asked Biyomon, quickly,

"We have a little left over from the restaurant, but other than that, nothing" sighed Gomamon, "How much do we need to get on?"

"Ten digidollars each" answered Leomon, "How much do you have?"

"I've only got 25 here" said Gomamon, "Anyone else?"

They pooled their money, and only had ninety digidollars all up.

"We're short by thirty" sighed Gabumon,

"How do you know that?" asked Orpheumon,

"It's just maths" shrugged Gabumon, Biyomon was impressed, most digimon didn't know maths.

"I've got forty here" said Leomon, "I'll shout you other three, how does that sound?"

"Thanks" smiled Biyomon. There was a rattling sound in the distance, and the noise of a running motor as well.

"So that's a Trailmon" breathed Armadillomon. Trailmon looked more or less like a human world engine with eyes. It ran on the tracks, and was pulling some carriages behind it. Trailmon stopped at the platform, and a conductor stood at the carriage door. They all paid, and were let on board. The carriage wasn't anything fancy, just a lot of leather seats lined up in threes, but most of the digimages thoroughly enjoyed the comfortable swaying and the view from the train.

"What I do not understand" said Leomon, "Is how you rookie and champion level digimon have a chance against Bardmon. He reduced the Tree of Life's defenses to ashes in under a minute"

Elecmon sighed, and told, once again, about digimagic. Fortunately, Leomon understood quite well, and he merely nodded five minutes into Elecmon's explanation.

"How come we're stopping?" asked Gatsumon, suddenly, "We've only been on for half an hour"

The train was indeed stopping, and there was no sign of any other tracks, which as all rail buffs know, is normally a place to stop to wait for a passing train.

"There's no other station here" said Leomon, "Something must be wrong"

"Holy Erikomon!" exclaimed Armadillomon, as the train began to shudder violently.

"I'll take a look" said Veemon, and jumped off the carriage. He looked at the engine,

"Whoa! Gawd!" he breathed. On top of the Trailmon, was a nasty wizard-like digimon called Calitanamon who was looking around threateningly, holding a medium battle axe. He saw Veemon, and attacked so quickly, the blue dragon had no time to retaliate.

"Spyra Whirlwind!" Veemon was blown away from the train, and the crystal on his neck fell off and lay forgotten on the ground. Veemon was dazed for a little while. When he came to, he looked around. He was all by himself, which was very bad. He was alone against Calitanamon, who could easily knock him down in one go. Gatomon wasn't here to revive him, and his only defense was his Ziedrich Force. He thought about what he should do, and decided to try to end the battle first up.

"Dragon Eclipse!"

Nothing happened. Gomamon was right, it was the elemental crystal that made him use the High Mage spell. Calitanamon sneered, and attacked.

"Charm Tranquil!" Veemon felt his energy fall right down, and he lay on the ground. This was it. One more attack, and it'll be all over. Bardmon will remain to control the digital world, the real world, and life and death itself. The others won't stand a chance, because even if they defeat Bardmon, his creator will probably make another maniac. Calitanamon walked over, and put his foot on Veemon's neck, holding his axe, ready to take the swing. Veemon shut his eyes.

'HYPER CHARGE!"

From nowhere, an enormous bolt of lightning struck Calitanamon's axe, and travelled right throughout his body, and also thorugh Veemon. The lightning restored some of his energy, and he threw Calitanamon off. Veemon turned around, breathing deeply. Elecmon was there, the normal smile on his face.

"Asura!" Veemon was fully healed, and turned to Calitanamon.

"Where would you be without me?" asked Elecmon, proudly,

"Thanks a billion, Elex" answered Veemon, smiling. Elecmon created a familiar large black cloud again, and it began to rumble menacingly.

"Reign of Thunder!"

The lightning struck everyone there. Veemon and Elecmon weren't affected, but Calitanamon was. He stood, shocked for a moment, but recovered.

"Lead Foot!"

Veemon and Elecmon felt very heavy suddenly. They tried to move, but their feet were like lead, as the attack descripted.

"Raingate!"

For one word, this attack meant business. From the side, a massive wave of water appeared, and swept up Veemon and Elecmon. The water stopped flowing, just leaving the two stuck at the bottom, struggling to hold their breath. A minute passed, still the water would not recede, nor the leadfoot effect would stop. Elecmon couldn't tolerate it anymore, his lungs were forced to inhale, and he blacked out. Veemon did so too a few seconds later. Calitanamon made the water recede, and was pleased to see the digimages on the ground. He kicked them both in triumph, but didn't notice someone running to the scene.

"ALMA FLARE!"

Calitanamon stopped, and fell to the ground in the blue beam. Gomamon had arrived.

"Come on, fellas" he said quietly, and used the spell that drained lungs of water. Veemon and Elecmon coughed, and got up.

"KA! Thanks... KA!" coughed Veemon,

"Hah! I'm a good fella" shrugged Gomamon, joining the duo, ready to attack. The sun flared up, the trees emitted smoke, the sea churned and the wind blew.

"Solar Squall!"

The yellow wind severely burned Calitanamon, but he endured the attack and looked psychotically at the digimages.

"Reaper Attack!"

The three of them were suddenly very cold. Black light emitted from Calitanamon's chest, and filled the area. Veemon, Gomamon and Elecmon saw their entire lives flash before their eyes, before everything turned black, and the howling of the wind faded. They were plunged into a world of serenity, they saw nothing, felt nothing, heard nothing... except a female voice shouting.

"ANGEL DESCENSION!"

Everything came back. The three digimages stood up, and saw that Gatomon had joined them. She was in her wizardess mode, Veemon had begun to like her clothing.

"You're not going anywhere 'till we have our date, Vee" she said, strongly. Gomamon and Elecmon both raised their eyebrows as Veemon turned red again.

"Now let's finish this git off" growled Gatomon, "Ready?"

"As ever" answered Elecmon,

"Yeah" nodded Gomamon,

"As if I'm not" replied Veemon,

The four of them stood in a line, and got ready to attack. Gomamon and Gatomon used a holy spell on Veemon, and he glowed strongly. He ran right up to Calitanamon, and...

"Zweihander!"

With Gomamon's and Gatomon's effects on him, Veemon was three times as strong with his special overdrive. Elecmon also did his bit by using lightning on the scene. Veemon finally jumped in the air, and his V rune glowed gold.

"Blue Thunder!"

Calitanamon was no more.

"See what happens when you go out by yourself?" asked Gatomon, "You nearly got destroyed"

"Thanks, you guys are the greatest" smiled Veemon, "Let's head back"

They turned back to the Trailmon, but as they watched, it began to move again.

"Whoa! Catlogs!" exclaimed Gatomon, "Hurry Up!"

It was too late. Trailmon had now reached full speed and shot into the distance

Will Veemon, Gatomon, Gomamon and Elecmon catch up? When will Saphenamon become a High Mage? What is the history of Gomamon and Orpheumon? Find out in Chapter 21 of Attack of the Necromancers


	21. Small Digimages, Big City

CHAPTER 21 Small Digimages, big city

The Trailmon sped off into the distance, leaving Veemon, Gatomon, Gomamon and Elecmon behind.

Gomamon muttered something so nasty, Elecmon coughed as though whipped in the stomach. Veemon shot a Xantes Blast out of anger, which, most unfortunately, hit the rear carriage and parts fell off it. Gatomon didn't mind, she felt like doing the same thing.

"We have to walk now" sulked Gatomon, "I HATE IT!" she kicked a stone a hundred feet in the air.

"Mode change to... Animal Mode!" Veemon stood on four legs and looked at Gatomon,

"You have it easy, Veemon" snapped Gatomon,

"I am offering you a ride" shrugged Veemon, "But if you don't want to..."

"Oh, sure, make us walk" shouted Gomamon, angrily,

"And I'm offering you that rail cart over there" Elecmon and Gomamon turned around, and saw a two-mon rail cart in a siding.

"You absolute Trouper, Vemo" smiled Elecmon, "Where will we meet?"

"Go to the Concert Hall in Mulgowie" said Veemon, "We'll meet there"

"See ya!" called Gomamon, and they trundled off, quite quickly.

"You really don't have to" said Gatomon, honestly, "I must be too heavy"

"Come on, we'll get there twice as fast" smiled Veemon, "Would you rather walk?"

"Oh, alright" smiled Gatomon, side-sitting on his back, "It's just I don't feel comfortable sitting on you"

"Don't think of it as sitting or riding" said Veemon,

"You're just doing this... because you care about me" smiled Gatomon, "That's really sweet! I didn't even need to tell you I had a twisted ankle"

Veemon's next sentence struck gold. Instead of asking "Really?" he said,"Yeah, how did you do that?"

"I jumped off the train too quickly" sighed Gatomon, feeling comfortable as the wind blew her fur. Veemon was moving quite smoothly,

"I never knew you could move this fast" exclaimed Gatomon, "Am I weighing you down?"

"Oh, Gats! Sorry, I didn't notice you there" joked Veemon. Gatomon chuckled, but her eyes widened as she saw the Trailmon they were riding on come closer and closer. Soon they were level, and the digimages on board couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"Having fun there?" called Kayetomon. Veemon and Gatomon both blushed furiously, but he soon ran ahead of the Trailmon.

"Hang on, where's Elexis and Gomes?" asked Gatomon, "They couldn't have overtaken the Trailmon"

"Looks like they did" pointed out Veemon. They had passed a double line, and Elecmon and Gomamon must have overtaken the Trailmon there, because they were ahead, the cart powered by Elecmon. They waved as Veemon and Gatomon shot past, both grinning.

"Can we have a break?" asked Elecmon, "I'm getting tired"

"Me too" nodded Veemon, "Pull in that siding there"

Gomamon steered the cart into the siding and slammed on the brakes. Veemon slowed down and stopped next to them.

"Libra" Gatomon restored their energy, and they were soon ready to head off again.

"Hang on, we need to tell the others where we're going" pointed out Gomamon.

"We can just head them off at Mulgowie" said Veemon.

"Yeah, but let's do it just to be nasty" grinned Gomamon.

"That's okay, we can get Kayetomon back" agreed Gatomon, coldly, "We need a red flag or something…" They turned to Elecmon.

"What do I do?" he asked, indignantly,

"Jump around next to the track" said Veemon, "Gain Trailmon's attention"

"Jump around?" repeated Elecmon, outraged, but he shrugged and did so anyway.

Trailmon slammed on his brakes and stopped level with Elecmon.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"There's something up ahead" said Elecmon, realistically, "They're clearing the line right now, it'll take a few minutes."

"Darn! And we were on time as well" sighed Trailmon, "I suppose these things can't be helped."

Elecmon walked down the train to where the digimages were, Gatomon, Veemon and Gomamon following.

"What's the matter?" asked Gabumon, leaning out, "I saw the strangest thing running past before."

"Gabumon, shut up" snapped Gatomon, "Now, we just want to tell you that we're meeting outside the Mulgowie Concert hall."

"Wouldn't you like to get back on board?" asked Gatsumon, "Or are you too happy with your current transport?"

"Get the job done properly and go petrify your mouth Gatsumon" retorted Gatomon, "We can go twice as fast as you can"

"Is that a challenge?" asked Biyomon, "Fine, the first one to Mulgowie wins"

"Mulgowie Station" added Orpheumon,

"Ride 'em raw, Gats" cheered Kayetomon. Gatomon slashed his nose, and decided to ride on the train instead, just so Veemon could go faster.

"Good luck, Vee" she whispered,

"Is it ready now?" called out Trailmon,

"See you there" said Elecmon, and the other four digimages ran back. Elecmon told Trailmon it was clear, and he began to move again. Elecmon and Gomamon quickly backed out of the siding and followed Trailmon down the tracks, thankfully dividing into three lines. Trailmon was on the left, and the digimages on the middle. Veemon ran along the third line, avoiding incoming trains quickly. Elecmon was driving his cart more faster now, and Trailmon realised a race was occuring, and accelerated to full speed. Unfortunately, Veemon couldn't compete with the other two's power, and fell back. He jumped on the back of Trailmon's last carriage, holding onto a twisted piece of metal he had wrecked earlier. Gomamon was leaning down to make the cart go faster. The cart pulled ahead, but, most unfortunately, Trailmon disappeared suddenly. Gomamon saw the station and hit the brakes, smiling. There was no sign of Veemon or Trailmon.

"You're late"

Gabumon was standing, triumphant on the platform, Trailmon behind him,

"How... you bint!" snapped Gomamon, "Elex, he used his time spell!"

"Gabba, you whopping great lump!" panted Elecmon, "You Cheated!"

"Who... Cares?" panted Veemon, jumping on the platform, in his being mode, "We're here now, so let's get some FOOD!"

"Ho, yeah, you're right" nodded Elecmon, his stomach making noises, "We'll have it at the cafe over there" he pointed above the station, where steps led to an outdoor restaurant.

"Well, it's been very interesting meeting you again" said Leomon, "But from here, it seems our paths split once again."

"What do you mean?" asked Saphenamon.

"I'm catching a second train to Jansodaile" said Leomon, "Goodbye, and good luck against Bardmon."

He climbed the stairs, and went over to another platform to wait for another Trailmon.

"Let's get brunch" groaned Dillomon, "I got refunds on you four's tickets, we've got forty digidollars left"

"That should be enough" nodded Saphenamon, "You three look exhausted."

"We... are" panted Veemon, and slowly walked up the stairs.

"Gawd, give us a break" muttered Gabumon, and pushed Veemon to the top, because he was causing a traffic jam, "You decided to play the hero and fight Calitanamon so don't complain to me."

"And did you decide to help when you saw Calitanamon beat us up?" growled Veemon ,"No you didn't. At least the other three aren't as selfish as you are."

"Well, they're prepared to kill themselves for your little crusade..."

"If I hadn't got out, we'd probably be still on the line halfway here with Calitanamon still on top" retorted Veemon, "He would've probably got bored and decided to blow up the entire train, there was a lot of innocent lives on board too"

"Did you say, 'Hey guys, We need to get Calitanamon off this train, can you help?' No you didn't!" growled Gabumon, loudly.

"I would've thought by now you didn't have to be ordered around like a little pet, but guess I'm wrong" snapped Veemon, "The humans aren't here anymore, Gabumon, realise that!"

He had touched a nerve. Gabumon seethed for a second, then swung a punch. Veemon was knocked backwards.

"You wanna fight?"

Veemon retaliated with a powerful swing at Gabumon's nose. It began to bleed severely, but Gabumon was much stronger than he was, and used his claws to swipe at Veemon's chest, drawing blood. Veemon was really cheesed off now, flames appeared in his hands...

"STOP IT!" screamed Gatomon, jumping between the battlers, "Go away, Gabumon"

The horned yellow being turned around and left the station in a huff. Biyomon followed him.

"Yeah, get lost you fat yellow jerk!" shouted Veemon, his face bruised, his chest bleeding.

All the digimages were shocked, Gabumon and Veemon usually got on quite well. Veemon stormed over to the cafe and sat down. He breathed heavily, trying to calm down.

"That was... really heavy" muttered Gomamon, "I hope that won't happen again"

"That's what happens to strong guys" said Gatomon, "Tai and Matt have big fights, but they get along well afterwards, the same with TK and Davis, though it doesn't really get to that. Davis normally backs off. Don't worry, it'll be okay later"

"I hope you're right" said Elecmon. Veemon looked okay now, and the others joined him. Gomamon was surprised at Gatomon, normally a girl would get really angry at their boyfriend for having a big fights in public, but he supposed Gatomon didn't think it was too harmful, after all, she had experienced much worse at Myotismon's.

"What are we eating?" asked Armadillomon.

"For forty digidollars, we can try a group meal" said Veemon, in his normal rusty voice, unlike his fearsome growl a few minutes ago, "There's ten of us, right?"

"Yeah" nodded Elecmon, "So we can spend four digidollars on each of us"

"That was easy" pointed out Armadillomon, "Okay, what can we get for four digidollars?"

They worked it out and had a very refreshing meal. The large bubble in their stomachs popped as food replaced them.

"Whoa, that's good!" sighed Veemon, rid of his fatigue, "How about we have a look around the place?"

"We have no money left" pointed out Gomamon, "Hang on, what's this?"

He saw a coin on the ground, it was a genuine digidollar.

"That's lucky" he exclaimed, pocketing it, "There's another one!" he picked up a two-digidollar coin, "Wow, someone must have a hole in their pockets, look around, everyone"

It was quite a lucrative forage. They found ten digidollars on the ground, and more seemed to appear as they were looking. Veemon noticed a small ching every time Dillomon moved.

"Arma, stop" he said. Dillomon looked confused,

"What?" he asked,

"Shake around a bit" said Veemon. Dillomon shrugged, and jumped twice. There was a metal rattling sound every time.

"What's that noise?" asked Gatomon, looking up.

"This piggy bank here" said Veemon, pointing to Dillomon, "There's money in his armour"

"Oh, so that's where it went" smiled Dillomon, "In Myotismon's place, I hid it in there for safekeeps"

"How much?" asked Saphenamon,

"More than a hundred" said Dillomon,

"You Trouper, Arma" said Orpheumon,

"Anyway, how are we gonna get the money out?" asked Armadillomon

"Piñata principle" said Gatomon,

"What's that?" asked Dillomon,

"We'll have to shake it out" explained Gatomon, "I have no idea though, you weigh a ton"

"Maybe an Earthquake can do the trick" thought Elecmon aloud,

"Gawd, fine" huffed Dillomon, "Don't look"

He waited until everyone turned their backs, and opened up his armour. Coins fell out of it, making a heavenly sound.

"DON'T LOOK!" he snapped, as Gomamon turned slightly, "Okay, now"Everyone turned around, a hundred digidollars at Armadillomon's feet.

"Um, how did you do that?" asked Gomamon,

"My armour has to have some sort of emergency release" shrugged Dillomon,

"Great, we can go on the shopping spree after all" smiled Gatomon, picking up the money.

"Vemo, Elex, you follow her" whispered Gomamon, "I wouldn't trust her with that cash. Here's the list, oh, and you take the bag" Gomamon was surprisingly organized. On the list was useful items like "Bandages" and "Antidotes", maybe going out with Orpheumon did him some good after all.

Gatomon was an absolute terror at the shops. She picked up completely irrelevant items, and Veemon had to act extremely hard so she wouldn't make him buy it. Elecmon bought the items on the list, and smiled as Gatomon was pleading Veemon for a pretty crystal, but walked over as Veemon let out a loud moan.

"What's the matter?" he asked,

"I've lost the crystal!" groaned Veemon, leaning backwards, gripping both of his ears in frustration, "Calitanamon blew it off! It's halfway back! I'm so STUPID!"

"Calm down" soothed Gatomon, as a townsperson approached them,

"What's the matter?" she asked,

"Have you seen a crystal anywhere?" asked Gatomon, "It's got a string around it, and it's all clear until you touch it"

"I saw something like that at the Concert hall" answered the womon, "Yeah. Escromon's guarding it. Maybe you can take a look?"

"Okay, thanks" smiled Veemon, and walked quickly out of the shop, making Elecmon have to tell Gatomon to put the jewellry back. Veemon noticed, as he walked down the streets, that a lot of female digimon were eyeing him in an interested sort of way. Gatomon noticed this too, when she caught up and immediately held his hand, giving a snooty look at the offending womon.

"Veemon, don't look so cute" Veemon had the impulse to burst out laughing, but he fought it. He tried to look as uninteresting as possible, but this made things worse.

"Darn it, now you're posing!" snapped Gatomon, then she playfully slapped his side, "You're trying to get me closer aren't you?" she asked, "Then you got it, Veemon, you veracious flirt" she flung her arm around Veemon, who looked pleadingly back at Elecmon for assistance.

"You got yourself into the girl business, Vemo" he shrugged, thoroughly enjoying himself. The girls were still smiling at Veemon, no matter how coldly Gatomon looked back. Thankfully, Gomamon and Armadillomon were absent, because they would probably laugh themselves to death, and Gatomon would get even crosser having to revive them. Elecmon was certainly sniggering, but made things better by waving to the girls, who looked away immediately, embarrassed.

Finally, the three of them reached the concert hall, where the other digimages were waiting. Unfortunately, Gatomon didn't release her grip, making Gomamon and Armadillomon snigger. But they stopped when Veemon and Gabumon made eye contact. Gabumon's nose was still covered in blood, and Veemon's white belly was now red from the wound, even if Gatomon and Biyomon healed them. It was a long pause, but finally,"Sorry, Vemo" muttered Gabumon.

"That's okay" replied Veemon, releasing the tension of the moment. Gatomon and Biyomon were both impressed, they had settled it like gentlemon.

"So, the twiddle triplets finally decide to turn up do they?" asked Saphenamon impatiently, then she turned around, "The crystal's just there, let's nab it"

The crystal was in a glass case on a velvet cushion. Nearby, behind the counter, was a fat digimon with silver fur all over, and had triangular ears. He looked quite grumpy, this must be Escromon.

"Hang on, we'll try not to get attention" said Gatomon, "We'll do this properly. I'll hypnotize him..."

"Gats, no" said Veemon firmly,

"Bums to it" muttered Gatomon. Everyone laughed, "Alright then, Veemon, you do it, if you know how it's done"

Veemon walked over to Escromon who looked up,

"Yes? Are you registering?"

"I was wondering if you came across a crystal lately"

"As a matter of fact, I have" answered Escromon, indicating the glass case,

"Well, the thing is, that I lost that crystal, and I was wondering if I can get it back..." began Veemon,

"Can you prove it?" asked Escromon,

"Yes, I can" nodded Veemon, "It glows rainbow when I hold it..."

"You can't fool me, you thief!" snapped Escromon, "Now get out before I call the police!" The other digimages ran over, noticing Escromon's shouting.

"Move it, you foolish reptile, I've got business here" said Escromon, getting out a notebook, "Your names are..."

"Did you get the crystal?" Orpheumon asked Veemon,

"Oh, so you want it too" asked Escromon, putting the book down, "Too bad, it's the prize for the dance contest tomorrow night, that is if we can get a band in on time"

"That's ours!" yelled Gomamon, "Give it back, you mighty smut!"

"No" said Escromon, simply, "It's a pity for you it isn't a rude word contest"

"Yeah, you can shove that crystal up your..."Gatomon stomped on Gomamon's foot, and they gathered in a group

"There's another way to get that crystal back" whispered Gatomon, smiling, "And it'll be fun" Veemon felt his stomach fall a few inches as Gatomon looked at him.

"I... can't dance" he objected.

"It's not hard" whispered Gatomon, although everyone snorted as the mental image of Gatomon and Veemon dancing came to mind, "Gabumon can stop time, that'll give us ages to practice, and we're not exactly up against the world champions, just against the bints of this place"

"Hey, hang on" muttered Betamon, "Aren't we supposed to go to the Tree of Life?"

"The crystal's just here" said Veemon, quickly, "It'll be pointless having a big struggle there and coming back here for it"

"That's enough, Betamon" said Saphenamon, thinking moves ahead, like Betamon would probably say 'It's just you that can't fight without it', and they might find themselves with another fight on their hands. Betamon silenced, looking cross.

"And we can learn how to play music" added Elecmon, "You'll be fine; we can play songs that you've practiced"

"Yeah, we can all be embarrassed together" added Biyomon, "Gabumon and I are trying."

"What?" asked Gabumon, "Since when?"

"Since now" said Biyomon, forcefully, making the others snigger, "You guys wanna try too?" She turned to the other digimages.

"Nah, I'll learn the drums" disagreed Gatsumon.

"I can't dance if I tried" said Betamon.

"Neither can I" sighed Orpheumon.

"Sure, I will" nodded Saphenamon, "Who's up?"

"Aww, darn" huffed Kayetomon.

"That's fine, we should win the crystal now" said Gatomon, "But it'll be me and Vee that gets it"

"Yeah, right" laughed Biyomon, "Gabba and I'll stomp - on - your - heads!"

"That a challenge?" asked Saphenamon, playfully, "Alright, the winner gets a swing at Bardmon"

"You're on" said Gatomon, smiling. Gabumon, Veemon and Kayetomon thought they had swallowed live moths as their partners whisked them away to practice, and whispered threats like, "We'd better win, or you'll never hear the end of it"

"Poor fellas" sighed Elecmon, "Okay; we'd better get started... Hey! Gabba! You need to stop time!"

"Oh, right" said Gabumon, looking very relieved, "Stone Time!"

The whole concert hall glowed silver, and everything except the digimages stopped moving.

"Hang on, we have to learn how to play before you can learn how to dance" pointed out Armadillomon.

"Nah, we'll be fine" said Gatomon, picking up a portable stereo from the cupboard behind Escromon.

"I've got an Idea!" said Veemon in mock excitement. He walked over to the crystal case and took the crystal from it, "Easy!"

"But that's no fun" said Gatomon, putting the crystal back, "We'll win it the honourable way, and prove that we're good guys"

"But we're wasting time" pointed out Veemon, "Bardmon's probably out ravaging the world by now"

"He can't do anything when we're still alive" said Gatomon, "So the only thing he can do to threaten the digital world is attack us, and I think we both know what I'll do if he interrupts our dancing."

"Anyway, what instruments are we going to try?" asked Elecmon, standing on the stage and looking at the various instruments. Gatsumon was already sitting behind the drums, practicing.

"This looks cool" shrugged Gomamon, who mode changed to Land mode on his way to the

stage and picked up a bass guitar. He played a small riff, and grinned,

"I know how to play this one" said Armadillomon, standing behind the keyboard, and began choosing his favourite mode.

"This is a strange one" thought Elecmon aloud, examining an Oboe, and trying it out, "But it's great"

"What about us?" asked Betamon, "We can't play anything."

"Wanna bet?" asked Gomamon, giving Betamon a pair of round hammers,

"What do I do with these?" he asked, indignantly.

"You hit that thing over there" said Gomamon, pointing to a metal xylophone. Betamon's talons were a nuisance at first, but he soon found a good way to play, and got good at the metallophone.

"Now, you" said Elecmon, looking at Orpheumon, "Um, maybe the chimes'll do for you"

"Yeah, that's fine" shrugged Orpheumon, and stood below the chimes, stroking them with her clawed flippers, making a heavenly noise.

If Gabumon hadn't stopped time, practice would have taken two weeks, but it hadn't taken a second. The digimages were taking a break, when Gabumon approached Veemon, who was writing in the diary, he snapped it shut,

"Do you want to write in it too?" asked Veemon, knowing what the sombre look on his face meant, "Fine, but you've got to take the oath"

"Oath?" asked Gabumon, confused,

"Of course, I can't let anyone write in this" shrugged Veemon, "This thing contains dark secrets, and if opened, shall wreak havoc on the universe if the oath is not taken"

"Rrright" muttered Gatomon, turning away,

"Well, alright" sighed Gabumon, and took the oath. Gatomon was sniggering, but Gabumon signed his name under the oath, and Veemon handed the diary over,

"I bequeath this to thee" he joked, making Gatomon snort,

"Gawd, don't be so nerdy, Veemon"

"I'm not"

"Oh, it's guy talk is it?" she asked, "Who else writes in the diary?"

"Gomes" answered Veemon, "Nobody else, apart from me and Gabba"

"Aw, well, we've all got to remember our feelings one way or another" shrugged Gatomon. Unbeknownst to Veemon, she hit a tiny diary in her left paw glove. Her right glove had fell off, just before Gomamon had finished off Shamonesmon, and she looked slightly lopsided, but refused to take her other one off, it concealed her greatest feelings, speaking of which, she was writing a lot about Veemon these days.

When Gabumon resumed the concert hall, the twelve of them stood in front of Escromon,

"I'm telling you, you're not getting the crystal" repeated Escromon,

"What if we win the contest?" asked Gatomon,

"Then you get it" said Escromon, getting out a notepad, "But that is if we find a band"

"And you got it" smiled Elecmon, "We'll play tomorrow night"

"I hope you're not singing" said Escromon, glaring at Gomamon, "Well, can you have a demonstration?"

The six playing digimon stood on the stage, and played very well. Everyone in the hall clapped.

"Well done" smiled Escromon, "The contest is on after all. Very well, what are your names?"

The next day, Gatomon insisted that she and Veemon practiced all day. Veemon moved grumpily around, making Gatomon cross.

"Why are you all stiff?" asked Gatomon, after a disastrous episode when they both fell right over.

"This is ridiculous" muttered Veemon, "Just because you three are competing, we should just get the crystal and go"

"Come on" sighed Gatomon, "If we win, I'll... make it worth it"

Veemon's eyes widened, that was surely a good reason to dance, with the prospect of gaining new heights in Gatomon's affection,

"Okay, one more try" said Gatomon, fiddling with the CD player, "Now, try again"

Gatomon was very surprised. Veemon was moving around much easier now, it felt a lot like gliding. He was even leading, and danced excellently. The musicians stopped practising to watch, mouths open in awe. At the end of the song, Gatomon felt almost dizzy with satisfaction,

"Oh, wow!" she exclaimed, in a happy tone, "I never knew you danced that well," Veemon blushed.

They watched Biyomon and Gabumon, who were hardly graceful, but were doing tricky moves quite well. Saphenamon and Kayetomon were just enjoying themselves, and the others made a mental note to keep ten metres away from them at all times. Gomamon and Orpheumon decided to take a break, and give dancing a go, but they were both hopeless. Gomamon was walking around in his Aqua mode these days, mainly to keep Orpheumon satisfied, they both kept falling over, laughing, making everyone else smile.

When the contest started, the band played a song to which the others had practiced a lot.

Gatomon was purposely brushing her fluffy tail on everyone else's' nose to make them sneeze and lose control. Veemon frowned at her when he discovered what she was doing, but it was soon forgotten over the very well played song. Biyomon and Gabumon were going fine, and Saphenamon had finally learned to dance properly, but she still bumped into others, and Kayetomon had to apologize.

"Those two think they're so great" muttered Biyomon, glaring at Gatomon and Veemon.

"Come on, don't ruin it, Byz" pleaded Gabumon.

"How about you use your time digimagic once more?" asked Biyomon.

"No, Gats'll take my head off" objected Gabumon, who knew what was going on,"And I don't even know what Saphenamon will do" he looked uneasily at Saphenamon's long claws and tall body.

"For me?" asked Biyomon, sweetly.

"That's cheating" said Gabumon, "You know how bad it is to cheat"

"She is," said Biyomon, looking meaningly at Gatomon. Every dancer within two meters was suffering severe hay fever, "By the way, the others won't mind, just as long as we get the crystal"

Gabumon sweatdropped, he didn't really want to win, but wouldn't like to be around Gatomon and Veemon if they did win,

"What's life without fun?" he asked, "Fine, I'll do it, but please revive me when Gatomon kills me?"

Will Gabumon survive the wrath of Gatomon when he snatches her victory? Will they get the crystal back? Find out in Chapter 22 of Attack of the Necromancers!


	22. Under the Cross

CHAPTER 22 - Under the Cross

At the end of the contest, Escromon stood on the stage with an envelope.

"Straight to the point" he said quickly, "The winners are... Gato..."

"Time Shuffle!" Gabumon used his time spell. This rewound time back ten seconds, and stopped, allowing changes to Gabumon's desire to occur in the room. Gabumon ran to the stage, and swapped envelopes out of Escromon's hand. He made time go right again, standing in exactly the same spot as he did last time.

"Straight to the point" he said quickly, Biyomon was smiling, "The winners are... Saphenamon and Kayetomon!"

"Wow!" exclaimed Saphenamon, "See? I told you we had to injure as much people as possible!"

"YOU!" Gatomon was storming through the crowd.

"GABUMON! YOU FAT YELLOW ZEBRA-UNICORN HYBRID! WE WERE SUPPOSED TO WIN THAT YOU..." She yelled at Gabumon so loudly, dust shook from the ceiling, and gave others further hay fever. Biyomon recovered from her shock, and also yelled at Gabumon. Even though he had the nerve to swing one at Veemon, he was hopeless against two furious womon.

"YOU PROMISED YOU'D MAKE US WIN YOU FUR STEALER! I'LL RIP THAT COAT TO SHREDS AND YOU'LL HAVE TO WALK AROUND AND LOOK LIKE AGUMON WITH A JAVELIN IN HIS HEAD!"

"I'LL PUT IN ANOTHER ONE AND MAYBE A PITCHFORK TO MATCH!"

"FORGET THE PITCHFORK; I'LL PUT A ROCKET IN THAT THICK SKULL OF YOURS!"

"We got the crystal" called Saphenamon, smiling as she held the now orange stone, "Now, what do we do?"

"Well done" smiled Elecmon, as the band left the stage, Gatomon and Biyomon still shouting at Gabumon, who leaned backwards. Gatomon was beginning to turn blue, and the other dancers were getting out of there as quickly as possible.

"ALL I WANTED WAS TO WIN ONE DANCE CONTEST WITH MY BOYFRIEND AND YOU WRECK IT WITH YOUR STUPID TIME SPELL!" screamed Gatomon.

"Come on, ladies!" yelled Veemon over the others' shouting, "We need to go now... err... bit of help?"

"GET LOST, BINT-NOSE!" shouted Biyomon,

Gabumon suddenly looked fearsome, "STONE TIME!"

Gatomon and Biyomon froze in mid-sentence. Veemon looked at him, shaking his head, smiling,

"You... yellow...bint!"

"Sorry I had to do that" sighed Gabumon, "Still friends?"

"Ah, you've been and going to be punished enough" shrugged Veemon, gripping Gabumon's shoulder, "I didn't really wanna win anyway, at least we got the crystal back."

Gabumon grinned, and carried Biyomon out over his shoulder, her mouth wide open and a ferocious expression on her face.

"That fella is amazing" said Armadillomon in awe. He certainly wouldn't have the courage to not only pull the winning place from under Gatomon's nose, but also use a time spell on her and Biyomon in a rage.

Gabumon didn't resume Gatomon and Biyomon until the next day, and their rage could be heard for miles. It lasted a full half hour, Armadillomon ready to use a barrier if Gatomon decided to take a swing, but she lost her voice after a while and looked miserable. Biyomon got dizzy and fainted from hyperventilation.

"Anyway, how come you made Saphenamon and Kayetomon win?" asked Elecmon later.

"What?" asked Gabumon, he was slightly deaf from the yelling. Elecmon repeated his sentence louder.

"Because they were the only two not cheating" said Gabumon.

"I wasn't cheating" croaked Gatomon.

"Yes you were, you were giving everyone else hayfever" said Gomamon, "I saw you."

"And Byz asked me to cheat in the first place" sighed Gabumon, "I'm sorry I did it, Gats, you and Vemo really won, but..." he grinned, "I just wanted to wipe that smug look off your faces..."

"Right!" Veemon locked up Gabumon's arms behind his back, "Sick him, Gats!"

"Ah! Ah! Alright!" laughed Gabumon as Gatomon tickled him with one of Biyomon's feathers,

"See, we don't fight... the bad guys all the time" whispered Armadillomon to Elecmon, who looked much happier than usual after that statement. Gabumon was wheezing as well as laughing with the others when Gatomon stopped.

"Okay, enough playing" called Armadillomon, "We need to get to the Tree of Life now that we've got the crystal."

"Yeah, you're right" nodded Gatomon, "We got everything?"

"I wish you wouldn't say that, we haven't got anything" muttered Kayetomon. Gatomon made sure her tail ring was firmly attached, and headed off toward the tree of life. Everyone else followed.

"Finally, we're doing something" muttered Saphenamon, "All this mucking about dancing and playing..."

"Well, we needed to get the crystal back" pointed out Betamon, "And be good guys at the same time."

"We could've whipped Bardmon without the crystal" said Gatsumon, "It's only the blue fella who needs it."

"Still, you've got to admit it was fun" shrugged Kayetomon, "What would you rather do? Enjoy life while you still can? Or be ordered around and just be non-questionly fighting all the time?"

"Yeah, you're right" smiled Gatsumon, "I wonder if we can use High Mage digimagic?"

"I doubt it" sighed Orpheumon, "Kinda like why the old digivolving lot only had two ones who could get to the mega level, there's just not enough energy for them all to do it."

"Still, it is good that we can actually use digimagic" pointed out Saphenamon. She was deep in thought, and didn't say anymore. Everyone else walked in silence.

"So, Gomes" sneered Veemon, turning around, "You've got a girlfriend too have you?"

"I s'pose so" shrugged Gomamon.

"Yeah! Good Work!" cheered Elecmon, hi-fiving Gomamon, "So, you've finally grown up, eh?"

Gomamon just smiled.

"Never knew you had the maturity in you" said Veemon, "The charm's there, definitely..." he broke off, continuing walking. Gomamon, for once, felt triumphant. Soon everyone fell asleep except Veemon and Kayetomon. Veemon was writing in his diary again, not minding Kayetomon's presence. He remembered something, shut the diary, and walked over to the yellow tiger digimon.

"What's up?" asked Kayetomon.

"Saphenamon needs this" answered Veemon. He took off his fire ring and gave it to Kayetomon.

"I'd give it to her myself, but, you know, it'll make Gatomon jealous" he sighed, "And you and her got the crystal back for me."

"But don't you need it?" asked Kayetomon,

"I don't need it anymore" said Veemon, his crystal glowing orange, "This thing has all seven powers."

"I see" nodded Kayetomon, taking the fire ring, "I'll make sure that Saphenamon gets this... and I won't tell her it's from you."

"Thanks pal" smiled Veemon, and returned to his diary writing. Kayetomon looked at the fire ring, transfixed at it. He held it tightly in his paw as he fell asleep, glad that the digimages had such a virtuous leader.

Gatomon decided to sing a naughty song this morning, making everyone listen, interested, but she stopped when they were all awake. Kayetomon gave his sister the fire ring, she appreciated it greatly.

"Where did you find this?" she asked.

"In Mulgowie" answered Kayetomon, "This is thanks for the picture you painted earlier"

Saphenamon was an excellent painter. Before she was cursed, she painted beautiful paintings of the digital world. She also made digimon look ten times more mighty than they really were, and Kayetomon really appreated one that she did of him, the wind in his fur.

"Thanks, bro" she smiled, and put the ring on, feeling strangely warm. Kayetomon gave Veemon the thumbs up, and he smiled.

It was quite a fair way to the tree of life, and once again, the digimages had to sleep under the stars. Gomamon and Orpheumon went on a stroll, and went to a nearby lake. They sat on the edge, talking.

"What's been happening to you in the past five years?" asked Orpheumon,

"It goes in waves" sighed Gomamon, "Two years after I met you, I fought in another battle, against the digimon emperor."

"Yeah, being a destined digimon has its perks" agreed Orpheumon, "I heard about what happened there, Vemo, Gats, Arma and the other three fought him didn't they?" she asked, Gomamon nodded, "But I helped" he added. They paused, Orpheumon practising her Aurora too.

"What was it like? Digivolving into champion and Ultimate?" asked Orpheumon.

"Peanuts compared to digimagic" shrugged Gomamon, "But it was pretty painful, growing from me now into the tonne-weight Ikkakumon, then into the two-tonne Zudomon... you know."

"I can imagine" said Orpheumon quietly, "We haven't had a swim for a while have we?"

"No, we haven't" answered Gomamon, smiling.

"Good, then shall we?" asked Orpheumon, motioning toward the lake, "You're okay on land, but you suit better in water."

"Yeah, I wish we could hear music in water" added Gomamon, waddling down the hill, "Dancing looks fun."

"We've got the music" said Orpheumon, reaching the bank. They dived in immediately, the bottom of the lake lit by glowing water plants. As they reached them, a beautiful tune could be heard. Gomamon knew they were singing corals, he should know, they grew in his underwater garden. Orpheumon gave a little bow as the corals played the intro, and she and Gomamon danced around the lake. They both moved very gracefully, and enjoyed every second, to the tune of a very mysterious song that the corals always played. It only lasted five minutes, but they needed to go up for air anyway. Their limit was thirty minutes, but it was better than gasping at their limits.

"You're even better than before" smiled Orpheumon, beginning to get sombre. She held his flippers and looked right into his eyes, "Gomamon... I... love you."

"Geez, that was fast" thought Gomamon, blushing red, and hugged Orpheumon all the same, her fur felt so nice in the water, but on land, it was tough and coarse. It occurred to Gomamon. Why hadn't he felt this way about Orpheumon before? They were just pals last time, but now they were as soppy as humans. Perhaps this is what Kilhamon's curse did, maybe it made digimon more... human. They looked into each others' eyes, Orpheumon's were purple like amethysts, Gomamon's were green as emeralds. They both swam forward slightly. Ever since Gomamon heard about Veemon and Gatomon kissing, he always wondered what it would be like, and he found it was the best feeling he had ever had. He was certain now, he was never going to leave Orpheumon, not even for the world.

"I love you too, Orpheumon" he replied.

"I'm glad" smiled Orpheumon, "Um... what happens now?"

"We do this" answered Gomamon, diving down, Orpheumon followed, smiling. The singing corals began to play again, a different song, much more romantic. Gomamon and Orpheumon sort of danced, but were much closer now, still graceful, but affectionate as well.

The bottom of the lake began to bubble violently. Gomamon and Orpheumon looked at it, scared. The corals stopped abruptly. Gomamon signalled to Orpheumon to get out of here, and she did so, him following. The seal digimages surfaced, "What's the matter?" asked Orpheumon.

"I recognise that" panted Gomamon, "That's Gigaseadramon!"

"We need to get out of here now!" shuddered Orpheumon, swimming back to shore. Gomamon followed. As they watched the bubbling lake, a massive monster surfaced out of it. Gigaseadramon looked like a massive dragon with fins as limbs, had green scales on his back, and white on his front. He had long messy green hair, and had a skull mask over his face. He was a mega level digimon, but Gomamon was more powerful.

"Mode change to... Land mode!"

He stood on two feet once again. He knew he could defend Orpheumon easier in this mode, and that was all he wanted. He'd even give up his life for Orpheumon if he had to. Two Aurora spheres appeared in his flippers.

"Magic Blast!" He didn't need Silphymon's help for this one, he threw the two spheres at Gigaseadramon, and they collided in midair, creating a large blast of Aurora. Gigaseadramon roared, making Orpheumon scared.

"You'll be alright" assured Gomamon. Gigaseadramon retaliated, "Thrash Attack!" The overgrown eel's tail appeared in front of Gomamon, and he was bashed aside. Orpheumon looked at Gigaseadramon fearfully.

"Run away!" yelled Gomamon, trying to get to her in time, but she knew neither one of them could make it in time. Gigaseadramon opened his mouth, and absorbed energy. Orpheumon knew what was going on, she had to act now.

"Aurora Gate!" Curtains of Aurora beared down upon Gigaseadramon. He roared loudly, but was still absorbing energy. He finally fired it.

"ORPHEUMON!" yelled Gomamon so loudly, it made the digimages at the camp a mile away look up. Veemon, who was on guard, got up to take a look.

The aurora faded. Gomamon felt a new feeling growing inside him, it wasn't sadness, it was anger. This was it, he was going to use an overdrive. He glared at Gigaseadramon, and his energy began to concentrate. The scene turned completely black, the stars and moon faded out, it was just Gomamon and Gigaseadramon visible. Five massive spheres appeared between them, arranged in a cross with the center one offside slightly. The spheres absorbed energy, and swelled to the size of exercise balls.

"SOUTHERN CROSS!"

The spheres shot one beam each at Gigaseadramon, and the effect was massive. The overgrown eel was destroyed instantly. Gomamon ran to Orpheumon, who was on the ground, not moving.

"Orpheumon, come on, wake up" muttered Gomamon, shaking the blown seal digimon, "Please, don't do this to me... no!"

Veemon reached the scene, and went up to him,

"Veemon!" Gomamon shouted. Veemon was surprised, Gomamon had finally got his name right, "Can Gatomon revive her?"

Veemon felt Orpheumon's pulse, it was doing nothing. Her body seemed very blasted, he knew it was hopeless to revive her in such a state.

"Nothing... can be done... right?" asked Gomamon, sniffing, "Hang on! Gabumon can turn back time can he? Quickly! Let's go get him"

"That... won't work..." said Veemon, slowly,

"Why not? You saw what he did in the fight against Zyndromon" pointed out Gomamon,

"Gabumon can't use that spell anymore, Gomamon" explained Veemon, sympathetically. They paused, tears were flowing down Gomamon's face.

"She's gone" he gulped, "My one love, gone... forever"

Gomamon knelt down next to Orpheumon's dead body. He rubbed his flipper down her back, drenched with tears. Veemon looked away, it was too emotional. Gomamon looked at Orpheumon's tied back hair, it was still red and pretty. He wanted to know one thing, he took off Orpheumon's hairtie, it had an amethyst gem attached to it. Gomamon let out a long moan, Orpheumon was twice as beautiful with her hair down. He fell backward, looking at the ornament, tears flowing out of his eyes like rain. Veemon sat down next to him, gripping his shoulder sympathetically. He didn't say anything, he just comforted his friend. Gomamon didn't sob like a girl, it was just tears. He was like that all night, but Veemon didn't leave his side, arm around his struck comrade.

"What do I do now?" asked Gomamon, quietly, staring at the amethyst.

"What do you want to do?" asked Veemon, wisely,

"I feel like dying" said Gomamon, tears flowing again,

"No you don't" said Veemon, rubbing his shoulder, Gomamon thought for a little while, and sighed, not answering Veemon's question, but he knew what he wanted. He wanted to go on, let Orpheumon rest in peace, and let her memory live on inside him.

He tried.

"Orpheumon was a very good dancer" whispered Gomamon, "I guess we're hopeless on land" he let out a small sound that was a bit like a laugh, "But we belong in water..." this was too much. Tears poured out of his emerald green eyes, and he leaned on Veemon's chest, crying. Veemon understood, he would probably act like this if Gatomon died. Some tears fell out of his eyes too, he felt horrible that such a thing had to happen to his friend.


	23. Sibling Digimon

CHAPTER 23 - Sibling Digimon

Veemon and Gomamon returned to camp in the morning, Gomamon still in extreme despair. When everyone was about to ask what was going on and where Orpheumon was, Veemon shot them all a warning look, and they concluded quickly. They could do nothing but resume their journey to the Tree of Life.

Gomamon was always on the verge of tears from then on. He was nowhere near his old cheery self, he walked with his flippers limp instead of swinging, the confident expression was wiped from his face, and his ears drooped limply around. Everyone walked in silence for four hours, until the depth of the moment was shallowed.

"Oh, that's right!" said Veemon, suddenly, "Saphenamon's gotta learn to be a high mage!"

"Ah! How could I forget?" asked Gatomon, slapping her forehead, "We've got time, and with more High Mages, we can liberate the tree of life easier."

They all paused, Gomamon let out a loud sob, Betamon comforted him this time.

"Come on, Gomes" said Armadillomon, cheerfully, "We have to pull together, we can't afford to lose time."

Gomamon looked even worse. Saphenamon approached him.

"Do you think Orpheumon would stand for this behaviour?" she asked, "Do you think she would want you moping around, and not care that the world you grew up in would be taken over?"

Gomamon nodded.

"I have to get over it" he whispered, shaking his head, and then he stomped his foot on the ground, making Betamon flinch.

"I'm gonna make sure that Bardmon goes down," he said, confidently, "NOBODY tries to take over the world that I live in and gets away with it!" he turned to the others, "If any of you gets to destroy Bardmon, make sure it's extra painful" he growled.

"Don't you worry, we will" growled Veemon too.

"Wow, Gomes, that is one cool hairtie!" exclaimed Biyomon, making everyone stare. Biyomon was normally horrible to Gomamon, but she was being nice to him for once. Gomamon blushed, he had put Orpheumon's amethyst hairtie in his own orange hair, that had grown longer in his time away from Joe. He had it in a neat ponytail, that way, he would always have a part of Orpheumon near him. Veemon had had the grisly task of burying Orpheumon last night, Gomamon was there, beyond tears, but he did have the stamina to swim to the bottom of the lake and bring back two singing corals, in which Veemon made a cross.

"Which of us High Mages knows fire digimagic?" asked Gabumon, changing the subject, "So we can teach Saphenamon?"

"Just me and pointy nose" said Biyomon, making Veemon scowl, "Anyway, you know the basics in fire don't you?"

"Yes" nodded Saphenamon, "All I can do is practise, right?"

"And some pointers" added Veemon, and he and Biyomon tutored Saphenamon for the morning. Soon, she got quite good at fire digimagic, but her attacks weren't as nearly as good as high mage ones yet.

"What's for lunch?" asked Kayetomon, when Saphenamon insisted she couldn't do any more.

They sat down on a bit of grass and did the usual. Talking, eating; Biyomon was no longer chucking in a nasty about Gomamon out of sympathy for Orpheumon, but she was now targeting Veemon, with Gatomon refereeing, Elecmon telling them all to grow up, etc.

"And I thought sis and I argued" commented Kayetomon.

"Who's sis?" asked Armadillomon,

"Saphenamon" answered Kayetomon, "We're brother and sister."

"What?" everyone was diverted, except Gomamon, who still looked depressed,

"That's right" nodded Elecmon, "You two grew up in Primary village together as Falumon, and you were so similar, we decided to call you brother and sister"

"I've forgotten about Primary Village" sighed Saphenamon, "Were we good?"

"Only when I was around" said Elecmon, frowning, "When my back was turned, you two made more trouble than a Mammothmon stampede."

Everyone smirked.

"Were we all at primary village?" asked Gatsumon.

"Yes, except for Byz, Gats, Gomes and Gabba" said Elecmon, "Gennai raised them specially."

"Hey, hang on" said Armadillomon, "Did you raise me at primary village as well?"

"I think so" thought Elecmon, "Yes I did, actually..."

Armadillomon wanted to know more, but he was interrupted. The ground below them began to shake, and out of it -came a massive hi-tech digimon with orbiting rings and had a spooky face.

"What's this, Gats?" asked Biyomon.

"Epsilmon" answered Gatomon, "High Mage as well."

"Your presence is forbidden," said Epsilmon in a digital voice, "Bardmon orders your destruction! Proton Ring!"

His central ring began to spin very fast, and sparks began to fly from it. A massive ring radiated out from Epsilmon, and its effect was disastrous. All the master level digimages were blown away.

"Kayetomon! No!" moaned Saphenamon. She was still there, but her brother was not, "Gatomon, heal him, please!"

Gatomon was down too. It was just Saphenamon standing.

"It looks like it's up to me then," thought Saphenamon to herself, "I need to do this, otherwise our mission is a failure."

Three fiery rings appeared around Saphenamon, and began to spin around like electrons around an atom. They spun faster and faster, forming weird lights and stopped very suddenly, but the lights still glowed.

"Ifrit Halo!"

Saphenamon saved the day with her final blow. Epsilmon was no longer intact, Saphenamon was a High Mage and one of the healers were still conscious. Saphenamon used Asura on Elecmon, but decided to keep her High Mage status a secret for her own reasons.

"Saphenamon, how did you do it?" asked Elecmon, when he stood up, but decided to stand on all fours. He always wasn't sure what to do there, and in conversation would normally stand up, lean forward or put his arms on the ground.

"He wasn't so hard," answered Saphenamon, "I just used an ol' Sun Beam, and he shoved off easily."

"Hmm," mumbled Elecmon, looking at Saphenamon sternly, "If you did advance to High Mage, you'd tell us wouldn't you?" he asked.

"Of course," answered Saphenamon, "I guess you should revive the others, we need to get to the Tree of Life."

"You're right" nodded Elecmon, and went about reviving his friends. It was beginning to get tedious, but what kept them going was the knowledge that every time, they were getting closer to their goal. Without any delay, they had resumed their journey. Betamon, Kayetomon and Gatsumon were blown too far away, they were separated once again.

The digimages didn't do anything new as they went to the Tree of Life, they were all concentrating on the battle ahead.

"Is that it?" asked Biyomon, pointing ahead. Everyone gasped, the Tree of Life looked... dead. No leaves grew on it, and a nasty black aura was around it, a typical sign of evil in the digital world.

"Who are you?" asked a friendly but scared voice. The digimages turned, and saw a white digimon staring at them. This was Swanmon, the new carer of the digital world. She was underneath a small shelter with some baby digimon with no limbs.

"We're against Bardmon," answered Veemon, walking over, "What happened here?"

"How do I know you're against Bardmon?" asked Swanmon, "You could be his goons for all I know... Elecmon!"

Swanmon's expression changed completely when she noticed Elecmon.

"If he's with you, then I trust you," sighed Swanmon, "Come in the shelter, I'll tell you what happened."

The digimages followed Swanmon into the small shack, only to find it was actually massive, it had some sort of illusion to make it look small on the outside. Baby digimon were everywhere, all either sleeping or playing. As well as the babies, there were some in-training and small rookies around, making the place look crowded.

"How come these older ones are here?" asked Elecmon, "They're supposed to be released when they first digivolve... AH!"

Elecmon winced as an In-training digimon plucked a feather out of his tail. The digimon was zapped, and ran away, crying. Elecmon looked at his feather, almost in a sad way. He put it in GomamonТs bag for safekeeping.

"They have to stay here," answered Swanmon, "It's too dangerous out there, with Bardmon reviving all the bad digimon."

"What happened here?" asked Gatomon, looking at a rookie digimon called Salamon, who was her own rookie form. She had four legs, creamy white fur, and wore a runed collar.

"It started a few nights ago," answered Swanmon, "The four Necromancers flew in one day, and threw us all out of the tree. We had to use this emergency shelter instead. Anyway, they modified the tree so it only regenerates digimon of their own desires. I evacuated all the babies to here, and I'm not releasing them until they change into champions, it's too dangerous for in-training and even rookies."

"Why does this fella look like me?" asked a small rusty voice. A rookie digimon stood next to them, who looked a lot like Veemon. He had the same features and body shape, but his eyes were green, and had an A instead of a V rune, but his main difference was that this one was two feet smaller, and he was a sort of dark green instead of blue, "How come you've got a V on your face?"

"I don't know," answered Veemon, "It's always been there."

"Are you gonna get our tree back?" asked Salamon,

"Of course we are," replied Gatomon, "Maybe... at the end of the day you'll be able to live in the tree again."

"I've got no doubt in you," said Swanmon, "You're masters and high mages, you should get it done quickly."

"I wanna be a high mage too," said the small dragon digimon who looked like Veemon,

"Trust me, you don't," said Veemon, leaning down to look level, "What's your name?"

"I'm Revimon, how come I can't be a high mage?"

"Because it's a nasty business," answered Veemon, "First, a necromancer puts a spell on you, meaning you can't digivolve or regenerate, and then, you've got to put up with several months of training... and also, you need a team to work with."

"I can do that," said Revimon, "Bardmon's already put a spell on me."

"Yes, he's cursed Revimon and a lot of the others," said Swanmon, "They''ll have to live at the tree of life when you get it back, that's why I'm not letting them go until they're champions, because the curse stops them growing."

"If they're cursed, they can train to be digimages," pointed out Armadillomon, turning to an Oopamon bouncing beside him, "You're up to it aren't you?"

"Yeah," grinned Oopamon, clapping his, or to be more accurate, her ears.

"I told you my name, so you tell me yours," said Revimon, looking at Veemon, who told him.

"Uncle Veemon, can you teach me high magic?" he asked, Veemon laughed,

"I'm not your uncle" he explained.

"But you look like me," pointed out Revimon, "And Swanmon told me that things who look like each other are related."

"He can call you Uncle if he wants," smiled Gatomon.

"Then can I call you Aunt Gatomon?" asked Salamon.

"No, just Gats will do," she answered, "I don't like being called Aunt, it makes me feel old."

"Anyway, what about the digimagic?" repeated Revimon.

"I'll teach you that, yeah" agreed Veemon, "None of the tough stuff of course" he added to Swanmon, then turned back to Revimon, "When you were born, were you a Chibomon?"

"How did you guess?" asked Revimon, "You're smart! Can you guess what I was next?"

"I know" smiled Veemon, in mock confusion, "You were Oglomon!"

"No-I-Was-Not!" snapped Revimon.

"Demiveemon!" said Veemon, quickly, in the air of him being on a game show and he got the main prize question right.

"Yeah, that's it," smiled Revimon, "Were you one too?"

"Of course I was," answered Veemon.

"In that case, you two are brothers," said Swanmon. Veemon looked, wide-eyed at her.

"What? I have a brother?"

"Digimon who share the same lower form are referred to as brothers and sisters," answered Swanmon, "It applies to all vaccine type digimon. Data types don't have that, since they tend to live in large groups, but vaccine type digimon tend to live solo. Sibling digimon often have similar roots"

"If you say so," sighed Veemon, sitting down, out of the shock, but something else came to him.

"The Necromancers are brothers and sisters aren't they?" he asked Swanmon. Every child in the shelter screamed.

"Please don't say the N word in here," pleaded Swanmon, "I know it's okay for you, because you're not scared of them, but we are."

"Sorry," muttered Veemon.

"They are brothers and sisters, yes," answered Swanmon,

"Then that means they're vaccine types too," pointed out Veemon, "I thought all vaccine types were good."

"The You-know-whats used to be good, but they have been permanently overwritten with a virus, and it can't be removed until Bardmon and his creator are both destroyed," explained Swanmon.

"I see," nodded Veemon, "Like when Gomes, Biyomon and Gats were overwritten, and we had to defeat them to get them back."

"Well, before you go into battle..." began Swanmon, "Feel free to have lunch."

"Where's the food?" asked Armadillomon, letting Oopamon play on his shell.

"Kids! Off the table now!" called Swanmon. All the digimon bounced off the low wooden table, "Arula's Bounty!"

Sparks appeared all over the table, and condensed into a large amount of food. All the baby digimon came over to guzzle their lunch, which disappeared very quickly. Swanmon summoned a second helping for the in-training digimon, and finally, one for the rookies and digimages.

"This is good," commented Gabumon, chomping a drumstick, "I envy you," he turned to a rookie digimon next to him, who looked very similar, except he lacked a horn, was much smaller, had four legs, and was called Eresmon, "Getting three treats like this every day" he swallowed, "I wish I was a vaccine type, then you could've been my brother too."

"Yeah, I've always wanted a bigger brother," nodded Eresmon.

"We could still pretend" shrugged Gabumon, "Who cares about the type? What about it, Bro?"

He hi-fived Eresmon, making Swanmon smile, Gomamon didn't touch his food, he was still in dismay.

"What's wrong with you?" asked a Bukamon, who was Gomamon's in-training form, "Why are you sad?"

Gomamon didn't answer.

"What's wrong? Are you deaf?" asked Bukamon, clapping his flippers, loudly, "Come on! Are you ignoring me?"

"Leave him alone," said Gatomon, quietly, "Someone he really liked died yesterday."

"Ooh! Sorry!" muttered Bukamon, becoming less energetic.

"No, it's fine," said Gomamon, his voice quavering, "I should get over it, life goes on, and we've got more important things to worry about…"

Veemon gripped his shoulder.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked, solemnly, Gomamon nodded, and began eating. He slowly began to get more cheerful, and was soon in conversation, even smiling slightly. Everyone was glad that Gomamon was back to normal.

"Elex, do you know this spell?" Gabumon turned to Elecmon.

"Yeah, that's a thought," agreed Elecmon, "How do you use Arula's feast?"

"It's easy," said a digimon who looked like Elecmon, but had orange fur instead of red, and was half his size. He concentrated, and used the spell.

"Arula's Bounty!"

A berry appeared on the table, and the Elecmon look-alike ate it happily.

"Careful, you don't want to get as fat as me," said Elecmon, "What's your name, by the way."

"Leximon, and I do so want to get fat."

Swanmon laughed.

"He's only joking," she explained, "Ollemon! Get down from there!"

"Aww," a bird digimon who looked like Biyomon with green feathers, a pointier beak and was, as usual, smaller than her ringer, flew down from the ceiling, "But Falumon's chasing me."

Swanmon scolded the two troublemakers, and then turned to the digimages.

"Thank you for what you're doing," she said, happily, "Please, feel free to visit us again."

"We will," smiled Veemon, getting up, "See you later on, Revimon."

"Bye Bro!" called Revimon, "Come back later! I still wanna be a High Mage like you!"

"Me too!" called Salamon.

"Me three!" added Eresmon.

Soon, the kids were out of earshot, and the digimages walked toward the Tree of Life, hopefully for the last confrontation with Bardmon.

What will happen now that the digimages discovered their brothers and sisters? Will Saphenamon finally open up to her team-members? Will the digimages win their fight for the Tree of Life? Find out in Chapter 24 of Attack of the Necromancers! R&R


	24. The Xantes Brothers

CHAPTER 24-The Xantes Brothers

Expecting battle at any second, the digimages trod cautiously over the tree roots. Still, there was no sign of any enemies. They reached the inner roots of the tree, still no sign of any enemies. Finally, they reached the trunk.

"Bardmon, show your face!" shouted Veemon, "And we'll kick it in!"

Bardmon glided out of the trunk. He was immediately attacked, but the digimagic had no effect.

"Don't waste your energy" said Bardmon, egotistically, "I'm just a hologram, with a final message. This is the place of your demise, digimages, and to settle the matter, may I re-introduce some of your old friends... HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

His annoying laugh echoed throughout the tree, and light appeared at the trunk. When it faded, the digimages were all confused, then alarmed. Facing them, were four digimon that they didn't ever want to see again. Three dark masters were there, Metalseadramon and Machinedramon towered over them, and Puppetmon sneered from the bottom. Also, hovering above them, was none other than Chimeramon.

"Unfortunately, Piedmon can't be with us today" sighed Bardmon, "As you know, MagnaAngemon banished him through the gate of destiny, which unfortunately, is locked for eternity. But, you'll all be defeated nevertheless."

Metalseadramon attacked first.

"Aurora Solstice!"

The cannon on his nose glowed rainbow, then he shot a sphere at Saphenamon, who dodged it. Machinedramon attacked next,

"Storm Beam!"

The shoulder-mounted cannons glowed sparks, then he shot twin beams of lightning at Gomamon. He jumped out of the way. Puppetmon did his bit.

"Xantes Blast!"

The cross on his back glowed eight pale orbs, which united into one beam, which he shot at Armadillomon. He deflected it. Chimeramon was last.

"Hyper Blaster!"

His attack was harder to dodge. Everyone had at least on blast on them, but they weren't too powerful. A massive battle broke out.

Elecmon clung hard onto Metalseadramon's hair, and was zapping him hard. Metalseadramon yelled in pain before throwing him off, smashing into the trunk. He was about to finish Elecmon off, but Saphenamon stopped him.

"Sun Beam!"

Metalseadramon was blown back.

"You okay?" Saphenamon asked Elecmon.

"Yeah" he answered, "Let's finish him off... Amper Shield!"

Saphenamon now had a glowing shield, which blocked electrical attacks.

"Reign of Thunder!" Elecmon fried Metalseadramon with many lightning bolts, but he was still up.

"River..." his nose began to absorb energy, but...

"Ifrit Halo!" Saphenamon made a circle of fire encircle around Metalseadramon. It orbited, faster and faster, and finally, made a large fireball appear, blowing the massive dragon to ashes.

"Saphenamon, this means you're a high mage too!" exclaimed Elecmon. Saphenamon sighed gratefully.

Gabumon and Armadillomon were occupied with Machinedramon's massive cannons. Almost everything possible shot out of them, from bombs to ice shards. Gabumon had no choice but to modify time once more.

"Stone Time!" Machinedramon stopped in mid-attack, and the two digimages ran behind the scary machine, preparing for when the spell's effect faded. Machinedramon looked about, confused, but before he knew what was going on, Armadillomon attacked.

"Terrestrial Chaos!"

This attack was by far the most spectacular earth attack. Massive glowing fissures appeared in the ground, and began to oscillate so violently, Machinedramon was shaken to bits.

"No fair, you've got two high mage spells" whined Gabumon.

"Hey, I couldn't have done that without your help" pointed out Armadillomon.

Gatomon and Gomamon had teamed up against Puppetmon, who was terribly agile. He avoided their

attacks easily.

"We can't defeat him directly" sighed Gatomon, "Any ideas?"

"You kidding?" asked Gomamon, panting, "My motto is; weaken them down, then do what'cha want"

"What?"

"This is what I mean" said Gomamon, "Alma Flare!"

Puppetmon couldn't avoid this attack, and he was paralyzed.

"Malady Breath!"

This attack was very effective. Puppetmon now was silenced, meaning he couldn't use digimagic and he was blinded, meaning he couldn't attack accurately.

"Oh, I see" nodded Gatomon, "Can I finish him off?"

"Fine" huffed Gomamon, thinking it would be fair because he had finished off Shamonesmon, and Gatomon hasn't done much yet, "But I get the next one"

"Maxima!" Myotismon's attack seemed to be much more effective coming from Gatomon. Gomamon looked, fascinated, and Puppetmon was reduced to splinters.

Finally, the last two digimages were facing Chimeramon,

"Why do I have to go with you?" asked Biyomon, crabbily,

"Leftovers I guess" retorted Veemon, "Look, this is what we'll do. You divert him, and I'll attack. If he goes for me instead, you attack... Ziedrich Force!"

Biyomon now had a Ziedrich barrier,

"Go on, we can't wait all day" said Veemon quickly. Biyomon took flight, and began jabbing Chimeramon teasingly. Chimeramon took flight too, chasing Biyomon around the tree.

"Rail Channel!"

Chimeramon was hit badly in the back. He looked at Veemon, then attacked,

"Hyper..."

"Althea Drive!" Biyomon shot red stars at Chimeramon, each one making a powerful explosion.

Chimeramon was getting confused. He was being attacked from two different directions. He decided to charge down Veemon because he was an easy target. His wings were battered now, and he couldn't fly anymore.

"Mode-Change to... Animal Mode!"

Veemon avoided the attack, and moved around more easier.

"Rail Crusher!"

Biyomon was shocked, she never knew Veemon could use such an attack. He reared up on his hind legs and stomped his front ones on the ground. Two parallel lines appeared in the ground, approaching the grounded beast, and made a massive explosion when they reached him. They had finally defeated Chimeramon, once again.

"How was that?" asked Veemon, proudly,

"Not bad at all" smiled Biyomon.

When Chimeramon disappeared, one ear-splitting roar could be heard. As the digimages watched, the tree trunk opened again, and out of it... came three digimages that they were dead scared of. Shamonesmon, Lorheasmon and Zyndromon were alive again.

"Holy Aphanemon!" exclaimed Gatomon, "Not them again"

"You're not the only one who can revive the dead, you pathetic binary cluster!" barked Zyndromon, "Solomon Ray!"

Zyndromon aimed an orange beam at Gatomon, but Veemon blocked it. Gatomon healed him, and he attacked,

"Vee Solstice!"

An attack somewhere between Holy and Epsilon Storm occurred, and Zyndromon was impaled with hundreds of streaming holy beams. Most unfortunately, her teleporter was repaired, and she vanished. Lorheasmon stepped forward, his sword glowing black.

"Zantetsuken!"

The full force of his attack was never apparent, he had missed once again. Veemon attacked his turned back, "Blue Thunder!"

A purple column appeared above Lorheasmon, glittering with blue sparks. After a second, a massive pillar of lightning, coloured blue, smashed down upon the rusty knight. He didn't teleport in time, and was destroyed again.

"Well, come on, I can't defeat these great gits by myself" called Veemon, changing back to his normal mode,

"G-Cross Freezer!"

Gabumon's attack made Shamonesmon crack and freeze, but she broke free, and hovered in midair.

"Fomalhamon! Urasvimon! Guardians of the great gates! Come to forfil your oath!"

"Star Fighter!"

It was too late. Shamonesmon completed her spell before Biyomon zoomed in. Her attack destroyed Shamonesmon a second time, but as they paused, two massive digimon appeared on the plains surrounding the tree. One was a dark brown demon, with a massive mouth and glowing red eyes, and one was also a large demon, but had a grey front and had a beastlike face.

"Gravity Force!"

"Colossus Storm!"

Fomalhamon opened his mouth wide, and a huge vortex appeared inside it, forming a massive sphere. The sphere shot a black beam at the digimages. Meanwhile, Urasvimon was performing an attack very similar to Veemon's Epsilon Storm, except the light was black. The attacks stunned everyone, except (A/N- there's always one isn't there?) Saphenamon, who used a shield to block the attacks. She was just one, against two High Mages. How could she do it? She had to try something, maybe copy the high mage allies' attacks? She raised her paw over Gomamon, and three small spheres shot out of his body, and were summoned to Saphenamon. She realized something, and smiled. Saphenamon could copy any spell she pleased! The sun flared, the trees in the distance ignited, the seas churned and the wind blew.

"Solar Squall!"

Fomalhamon was completely destroyed, and Urasvimon was temporarily shocked. Saphenamon copied Gatomon's resurrecting spell, and revived all of her allies. Urasvimon got out of his shock, and flew right toward them. He charged Veemon down, and carried him off by the tail, probably Shamonesmon's orders if the direct attack failed. However, as Urasvimon rose, someone else grasped onto his tail as well.

"Let him go, you big fat buzzard!" shouted Revimon, climbing onto the back of Urasvimon, and holding tight to his coarse fur. Urasvimon shook violently, but Revimon stayed on. Urasvimon, putting two and two together, let go of Veemon, letting him fall from about a thousand feet. Revimon let go, but used a floating spell on himself to slow the decent. He touched down lightly, but Veemon was a real mess.

"Asura!"

"What the?"

Veemon was surprised. Nobody familiar had used the healing spell on him, it was somebody else. He looked back, and saw Revimon running to his side. Urasvimon was circling around for another go, he had detected the healing spell.

"I'm gonna help you" he said, confidently, "Today was the day I was supposed to digivolve, but I didn't because of Bardmon, and I'm gonna make him pay"

Veemon was about to say "You shouldn't be here" but paused. If some clown had ruined his digivolving day, he'd want some revenge.

"Fine, but stay out of range" he said, "And heal me whenever I get hit, otherwise you'll be alone"

Revimon nodded, "Sure thing, bro" and glared at Urasvimon, who thought he was seeing double. Veemon attacked.

"Meteor!"

Ten large meteorites shot out of the sky, over the blue dragons, and smashed into Urasvimon. The demon digimon roared, and breathed a jet of fire at the brothers, but they weren't affected thanks to their dragon power.

"See how you like it?" yelled Revimon, "Flame Thrower!"

He breathed an even stronger jet of fire at Urasvimon, who yelled in pain. He regained his stance, and attacked,

"Jovia Barrage!"

"Ziedrich Force!"

Veemon protected Revimon, and sent the matra spells flying.

"You know the Xantes Attack?" Veemon asked his brother,

"Do I?" said Revimon, proudly,

"Then show them what we've got."

Nine large orbs of light appeared on each of the two brothers, then united into two beams. They fired the light, both strangely effective, Urasvimon made a large sound in pain, but he did something that made their battle much harder.

"Asura!" Urasvimon healed himself, and he was ready to attack again. Veemon was worried, they would be fighting for ages if Urasvimon kept on healing himself. He looked at Revimon, he was a dragon digimage too. Veemon also remembered the crystal around his neck, maybe if two dragons used it, their battle would be over quickly.

"Revimon, can you delay him?" asked Veemon.

"Sure" nodded Revimon, "Stone Time!"

Urasvimon froze, in the middle of a colossus storm.

"What are we gonna do now?" asked Revimon.

"We get out of the way first," answered Veemon, quickly moving away from Urasvimon's temporarily frozen gaze.

"What next?"

Veemon kneeled down, looking level at Revimon, he held up the elemental crystal.

"Hold this" he said, Revimon was confused, but held the crystal all the same. It began to glow twice as strongly now.

"And...?" asked Revimon, wondering what he should do.

"Focus on all the elements," answered Veemon, remembering what he read in Myotismon's library, they both shut their eyes, concentrating, "Fire first."

The crystal glowed red.

"Then Water."

The crystal glowed blue.

"Now, Holy."

The crystal glowed white, then silver for wind, turquoise for ice, gold for lightning and green for earth. Revimon opened his mouth and eyes, but Veemon knew what his question was.

"The attack's called Dragon Realm" answered Veemon, both his red and Revimon's green eyes blazing in the light of the crystal.

"Dragon Realm!"

The entire background changed just as the stop effect on Urasvimon faded. He turned around, but as he noticed, the entire scene was alight with flame and thunder. He tried to use Colossus Storm, but nothing happened.

"What's this, bro?" asked Revimon.

"It disables all digimagic except ours" answered Veemon, standing up again, "And it's amplified."

They turned to the now harmless Urasvimon, impaled by the dragon force.

"What spell should we use?" asked Revimon, sneering.

"We'll make it interesting" answered Veemon, also smiling, "Give it our best shot."

Beams of light streamed down from the blazing sky, landing on the brothers. Orbs of light appeared on their bodies, then they both jumped in the air, forming checkered spheres.

"Epsilon Storm!"

Illusional beams shot at Urasvimon, forming spectres and haloes. Finally, Urasvimon disappeared in a massive white vortex, four times stronger than the one that Veemon used on Bardmon in the mansion.

"We did it!" cheered Revimon, dancing around proudly, the Dragon Realm fading.

"You didn't tell me you were a digimage too," puffed Veemon, tired from the battle.

"Well, I am," smiled Revimon, "But I can't do High Mage digimagic yet, because I don't have an elemental crystal. You do"

"How old are you, Revimon?" asked Veemon, "I mean, how long have you been out of a digiegg?"

"Ten years" answered Revimon, "I digivolved to Demiveemon when I was two, and again when I was five. I was supposed to digivolve again today but... you know."

"So you digivolve on the same day of the year as you were born?" asked Veemon. Revimon nodded, "Then that means it's your birthday today!"

"What's a birthday?" asked Revimon.

"It's when you get a big party on the same day of the year when you were born, and you get heaps of presents," explained Veemon, who only had a crude idea of what a birthday was.

"I didn't get anything today" Revimon sighed, looking down.

"Normally, you get it on the day after" said Veemon, "The actual day is for family, and I turned up didn't I? And you were around your friends too..."

"I get it now," smiled Revimon, "You turned up because you knew it was my tenth birthday! You're the best brother in the world!"

Veemon smiled too, and gripped Revimon's shoulder, "Happy Birthday!"

"What about you?" asked Revimon, "How old are you?"

"I don't know" sighed Veemon.

"Where were you all this time?"

"I don't remember," said Veemon, "The first thing I do remember is being released out of a cave."

"A cave? How did you get in there?"

Revimon asked a massive amount of questions, but Veemon decided to answer them all, unless Revimon began asking personal questions.

"No idea" sighed Veemon, "You wait 'till I find out who trapped me in there in the first place... grr!"

"The main thing is that you're out now" said Revimon, "And you're gonna show me some digimagic spells aren't you?"

"Well... we've got to find the others first" said Veemon, awkwardly.

"Aww, come on, you won't teach me when you're with them," sulked Revimon.

"Fine, okay" sighed Veemon, making Revimon dance again, "But only if you teach me healing digimagic..."

"Plus we've got heaps of catch-up time to do" Revimon called, "That's what'cha get for not visiting me for ten years!"

"What'd you want to learn first?" asked Veemon. He spent the day tutoring Revimon on attack digimagic, and he had got good at the elements, and a few laser and meteor techniques, and he even began to get the idea behind Dragon Eclipse if he ever found an elemental crystal like his.

"That's enough for today." Veemon sighed, after Revimon learned his twentieth spell, "Now you can teach me healing spells"

"First, let's come up with a name for our team" interrupted Revimon, "What's the spell we both knew first?"

"It was Xantes Blast."

"Okay, then we are the Xantes Brothers," concluded Revimon.

"Hmm, yeah, that's fine" smiled Veemon, "Now it's Asura time, come on, how does it work?"

Revimon wasn't a very good teacher, Veemon was getting irritated after half an hour, but he finally got it right, and made a shower of sparks appear.

"You got it" smiled Revimon,

"Finally" huffed Veemon, "I'm wrecked... what's for dinner?"

"What do you want?" asked Revimon,

"Err... what's there?"

"Anything, what do you want?"

Veemon was confused.

"Um... some pizza would be good" he said, awkwardly.

"What type?"

"Supreme."

"Arula's Bounty!"

As Veemon watched, a supreme pizza appeared out of nowhere.

"You'll need to teach me that too," said Veemon, picking up a slice, it looked normal.

"Ugh! Do I have to?" groaned Revimon, laying on his back, "Swanmon teaches us all that technique, and it takes five years."

"Um, don't worry about it then," replied Veemon, not happy at the idea of putting up with Revimon's ludicrous teaching for five years.

"Revimon, were you at primary village before?" asked Veemon.

"Yeah, but I was sent to the tree of life when I was two" answered Revimon, "That's the secondary digimon birthplace. I think it was because I was taking too long to digivolve, but I did later on that week. Swanmon was supposed to let me go, but I didn't want to go, I wanted to learn more about the world, so I stayed, and she taught me. Ollemon, Eresmon, Leximon and Salamon stayed too"

"Let's go to sleep" sighed Veemon, lying down, "Tomorrow, we'll ask Elecmon about it. He should know... Aah... about this stuff" he yawned, and shut his eyes.

"This is my first night out" said Revimon, "It's cold!"

He was right, it was cold, but Veemon felt oddly warm, even if he was a reptile digimon. Revimon was shivering. Veemon was wondering how to voice his suggestion without sounding odd.

"Um, bro, you mind if I'm next to you?" asked Revimon, "It's too cold"

"Yeah, sure" answered Veemon, glad he didn't have to say anything. Revimon came over, right up close. Veemon supposed it was alright, he was, after all only half his size, and he was just a brother. Revimon stopped shivering and slept immediately, sucking his thumb. Veemon smiled, he never had a little brother before. He himself was like one to Davis, who even was a little brother to June, his sister. It made him feel more responsible, and feel needed. Veemon began to feel sorry for Davis, because he had to spend time without him, but he remembered the digital world's time configuration. Every day in the digital world was worth one minute in the real world. Veemon wished he knew math, he wanted to work it out.

"Hey, wake up bro."

Veemon awoke around dawn; Revimon was still by his side, shaking him gently.

"You were talking in your sleep "he explained," You were saying that white cat's name and calling Bardmon some bad stuff."

This was true. Veemon had a nightmare about Bardmon attacking Gatomon, and he was too far away to do anything about it.

"It's okay, go back to sleep" said Veemon quietly, but Revimon still wanted to talk.

"Do you like Gatomon?"

"You could say that," muttered Veemon.

"Do you like me too?" asked Revimon. Veemon didn't feel sleepy anymore, he had to settle something first.

"I like you as a brother, that means we're good to each other, right?"

"Yeah. And you like Gatomon differently, don't you?" asked Revimon.

"That's right" said Veemon, "That sometimes happens between boys and girls. They can become normal friends too, but me and Gatomon like each other a lot more."

Revimon nodded, and lay down again.

"I like you too" he said, "I'm glad you're my brother." Veemon smiled.

"What time is it?" asked Revimon.

"Around five, go back to sleep," repeated Veemon, and they both did what he said.

Later on, Veemon was rudely awoken. Revimon was dancing on his belly. Veemon groaned, and Revimon stopped.

"Morning, Bro, how come you're grumpy?" asked Revimon, noticing the fearsome expression on Veemon's face,

"Well, most people don't like to be jumped on" said Veemon, but didn't say much on the matter after that, after all, he had jumped on Davis every morning before.

"Sorry" apologised Revimon.

"Hey, don't be" smiled Veemon, "This just means I get to jump on you tomorrow."

"Ah! No!" squeaked Revimon.

"Only joking" laughed Veemon, "How about some cereal for breakfast?"

"Okay" nodded Revimon, "Arula's Bounty!"

A large mess appeared in front of Veemon.

"What's this?" he asked.

"I can't summon a bowl, that's the problem" sighed Revimon, "I'm having pancakes, you want some too?"

"That's fine" chuckled Veemon, "I need a bit more of an imagination when you're serving."

"Arula's Bounty!"

A stack of pancakes appeared on the ground. They left the last pancake, which was dirty, but ate the others gratefully.

"So, where's Elecmon and the others?" asked Revimon, "You said we're gonna ask him about why we're brothers right?"

"Yeah" nodded Veemon, finishing his last pancake, "Let's go now"

He heard a humming noise that made his ears quiver, and followed Elecmon's signal, Revimon following.

"I hope we find a bad digimon" he said, excitedly, "Then we can beat him up"

"Don't think like that" said Veemon, turning around, "We'll only fight to defend; only bad guys beat others up"

"Veemon," began Revimon, "Who released you?"

"Davis did."

"Was Davis a human?"

"Yeah."

"So you were a human digimon at one point?" asked Revimon.

"What?"

"You know, a digimon with a human partner."

"Oh, yeah" answered Veemon.

"That means you could digivolve a lot too."

"I did." nodded Veemon.

"Who did you digivolve into?"

"Exveemon, Flamedramon and Raindramon."

"All three?"

"Well, it depended on how I did it." said Veemon, and explained about what he digivolved into,

"Wow, that is a lot to handle," pointed out Revimon, "I was gonna digivolve to Agaresmon yesterday. Swanmon gave me a book about it. Agaresmon looks a lot like a wizard."

"That's interesting," said Veemon, "Flamedramon looked like a tall warrior with funny red armour, Raindramon had four legs, black armour and gold blades, and Exveemon was a big blue giant with wings."

"You can't digivolve anymore can you?" asked Revimon,

"No."

"What do you like better? Digimagic or Digivolving?"

"Good question," thought Veemon aloud, "I'd say digimagic. I enjoy fighting better without having to change."

"That's good" there was a pause, "Who were the other digimages you were with? Gatomon and Elecmon were there, who else?" asked Revimon.

"Well, the yellow fella with a horn was Gabumon, he uses Ice and Time digimagic. The pink bird was Biyomon, she's good at Wind and Fire, the seal with the orange hair is Gomamon, he's okay at water and aurora digimagic, Armadillomon, you know who he is, he uses defensive digimagic, and the other one, Saphenamon, I think she uses fire and holy."

"Do you like Biyomon and Saphenamon as much as you like Gatomon?" asked Revimon. Veemon snorted.

"No."

"So, you can only like one person in the way you like Gatomon?"

"Something like that."

"And it has to be between a boy and a girl."

"Yeah, and they're not allowed to be related" added Veemon.

"There's so many rules!" huffed Revimon, "I wonder if I'll ever like a girl like that."

"I don't doubt it" shrugged Veemon, then playfully punched Revimon's shoulder, "When you're ready, girls'll be lining up to date you."

"So this boy-girl liking thing's called dating is it?" asked Revimon, "You sure know a lot, bro."

Veemon blushed, but suddenly looked worried. Zyndromon appeared ten yards away from them.

"Solomon Ray!"

Very quickly, Veemon blocked the attack once again. Revimon quickly healed him.

"Hmm, quite a good strategy you have there," she sneered, "It would be a pity if your combination unravelled... Blinding Dust!"

Veemon was surrounded by black smoke. The blackness didn't go away. He rubbed his eyes, but nothing happened, he was blinded again.

"Now, to bring an end to this masquerade" said Zyndromon coldly, but Revimon looked determined.

"Panacea!"

Veemon's sight came back, and he faced Zyndromon, but she was already in mid attack.

"Tell me, you didn't like it in the marsh did you?" she asked, "Or in the mansion with the trick stones? Attack if you must, but make it fast."

Veemon glowed, anger spreading through him like warm blood. He attempted to use his Zweihander, but his foot got stuck, and he fell flat on his face. Zyndromon laughed, and vanished.

"Bro, get up... WHOA!" Revimon also fell over. When the scene was recognised, it turned out that Zyndromon had cursed the ground they were standing on, and were sinking into it like the bog in the marsh. It was all wet, and crept up to the Xantes brothers quickly. Revimon made scared noises, and gripped Veemon tightly. He tried to find something to do to get out, but found nothing within reach. They were down to their necks, and still sinking,

"Does it have to end this way?" asked Revimon, "I just met you, and now we're gonna snuff it."

"I know, it's not fair" answered Veemon, tilting his head back slightly so he could speak longer, "Let's hope Gatomon finds us..." his face sunk below the surface, and so did Revimon. The bog felt oddly comfortable as it pressed against their faces like a dirty pillow. Revimon was struggling, but he finally inhaled, a weird expression was on his face as his slushy prison entered his lungs. Veemon still hung on to him, hoping a miracle would happen, but none did. His lungs were bursting for air, it looked like no help came. He had to try something now.

"Niagara Shooter!" No sound came out of his mouth, but the water spell did take effect. The bog became less thick now, and it was possible to move. Veemon used one last spell.

"Aero Gust!"

The wind in the attack blew a small air pocket. Veemon took a deep breath, and raised Revimon up into it. He didn't breathe, he had drowned.

"Revimon!" Veemon's voice echoed in the air pocket, whick disappeared a second later due to the pressure of the slush.

"Niagara Shooter!" The slush became even less thick, it was working. Although he couldn't swim, the bog was still shallow, and he sunk right down to the bottom. Veemon bent his legs, and pushed as hard as he could on the solid bed. He shot up, and broke the surface, with Revimon still by his side. Veemon climbed out, and put his brother on the solid ground, still not breathing.

"Great, what do I do now?" asked Veemon to no-one in particular,

"What's this CPR I've heard about?" replied a voice. Veemon looked up, Armadillomon was there too.

"Is Gomes here?" asked Veemon, urgently, Armadillomon shook his head.

"He's still back at the tree, don't blame him, his head was blown..."

"Alright! I get it!" snapped Veemon, "What's CPR?"

"You breathe into his mouth, and that helps get rid of the water in his lungs" answered Armadillomon,

"That's gross!" exclaimed Veemon, "Kissing?"

"No, not kissing" snapped Armadillomon, "Hurry it up, or he'll die. I won't look."

He turned around. Veemon still looked disgusted, but he successfully revived Revimon. Brown water poured out of his mouth when he finished, and he started coughing. Veemon excessively rubbed his own mouth, Revimon hadn't brushed his teeth for ages.

"See? I told ya it'd work" said Armadillomon, "You okay, Revi?"

"KA!... Yeah" coughed Revimon, "What happened?"

"You drowned," answered Armadillomon, "And the V fella saved you"

"You really are the best brother in the world" smiled Revimon, "You turn up for my tenth birthday, you teach me about girls, and you save my life. One question though: why were you breathing in my mouth?"

"That's what saved you" said Veemon, awkwardly, "The air blew out the water... SHUT UP, YOU YELLOW LUMP!" Armadillomon began sniggering.

"What's so funny about it?" asked Revimon, and his face blushed, "Oh, kissing... oh no."

"I was not kissing," snapped Veemon, "CPR and kissing are completely different things."

"So, you kiss someone who drowned, and use CPR if you like someone?" asked Revimon. It took Veemon a full half hour to put things right. Armadillomon was beside himself with laughter.

"And this brainless dimple here won't get any CPR when he drowns" said Veemon, coldly, "He can stay there."

"I'm sorry" sniggered Dillomon, "It's just funny."

Veemon supposed it would be, but he was still angry.

"Anyway, are you okay now?" asked Dillomon.

"Yeah" answered Revimon, getting up, "Let's go find Elecmon."

"Why him?" asked Armadillomon.

"We need to know something" explained Veemon.

"What... oh, I see" caught on Dillomon, "While you're at it, I wanna know who trapped the three of us in those special digiegg thingys."

"Were you trapped in a cave like Bro was?" asked Revimon.

"Yeah," nodded Dillomon, beginning to walk, and much to Veemon's gratefulness, kept Revimon occupied by telling him stories about what happened three years ago.

"How far away are we?" asked Veemon, after an hour.

"Another hour to go" said Armadillomon.

"Gawd, we're getting nowhere," Veemon huffed.

"Why don't you change into that fast animal?" asked Dillomon. Revimon looked at him, slightly angry,

"Hey, I thought you couldn't digivolve!"

"It's not digivolving, it's mode-change," explained Armadillomon, "That's not a bad idea. Mode-Change to... Steed mode!" He was in his old form again.

"Mode-Change to... Animal Mode!"

"Bro, that's amazing," exclaimed Revimon in awe, "Can we get there faster?"

"Yeah," nodded Veemon, not saying "Hop on" because it sounded too kinky. Revimon took the hint from the silence, and sat on his brother's back. Veemon and Armadillomon ran as fast as they could back to the tree of life, which was four times faster than they were going in their walking modes.

"Vemo, that looks weird," pointed out Armadillomon.

"Look, most brothers do this," replied Veemon.

"Let their little brothers ride on them?" asked Armadillomon.

"Yeah, it's true" nodded Veemon, panting, "Can you shut up please?"

Will there be trouble back at the Tree of Life? Will Revimon get a birthday party? Is everyone okay? Find out in Chapter 25 of Attack of the Necromancers!


	25. The Ninth Digimage

**CHAPTER 25 The Ninth Digimage**

They reached the tree of life in fifteen minutes. Veemon collapsed a few meters from it, out of fatigue.

"Come on, just a little longer" asked Revimon.

"No way," said Veemon, "Get off now." Revimon walked away, sulky. Veemon changed back to his walking mode, and caught up,

"Hey, don't sulk" he said cheerfully, "Remember, today's the day you get the presents!"

"Really?" asked Revimon.

"Yeah," nodded Veemon,"That reminds me, you have to wait for the party to get ready"

"Aww..." moaned Revimon, "As long as I get presents."

"Sure" smiled Veemon, "Why don't you ask Dillomon more about the Digimon emperor while you wait?"

"Yeah, I will" said Revimon, and ran back down the hill to confront Armaillomon.

"Serves him right" muttered Veemon as Revimon fired a barrage of questions. He turned back into the tree of life.

"He's Back!" Gatomon ran and hugged Veemon tightly, "I was so worried, you were gone for so long! What did Bardmon do?"

"We didn't get there" answered Veemon, "Revi and I finished Madeemon off."

"Revi did that?" asked Gatomon, amazed, "So he's a digimage too?"

"The five of us are" nodded Salamon, "Revimon's the best; Swanmon says it's because he's a dragon digimon."

"Where is Revimon?" asked Swanmon.

"That's what I want to talk about" said Veemon, "The thing is, I think he should have a birthday party."

"That's very thoughtful of you" commended Swanmon, "But the thing is, we need to repair the tree of life."

"Come on, he's been through a lot" said Veemon, "Okay, we don't need a party, but he at least needs a present or two."

"Err" Swanmon looked uneasy. She knew if she organised presents for Revimon, she would have to for the other four digimon approaching their tenth birthday. But, she supposed they deserved some compensation, after all, they couldn't digivolve and leave.

"Very well" sighed Swanmon, "Just keep Revimon occupied for the day, and we'll be ready for tonight."

"Thanks" smiled Veemon, and left, with Gomamon and Gatomon following.

"That was so sweet" said Gatomon.

"Yeah, I never knew you to be a family guy, Vemo" added Gomamon.

Revimon looked up, and ran up to Veemon.

"Well? Did you organise it?" he asked.

"Yeah" nodded Veemon, "They'll be ready tonight."

"But for now, we're gonna have fun" smiled Gomamon, "What do you want to do?"

"I wanna know everything you do about digimagic" said Revimon. Gomamon looked uneasy, he was expecting something like playing games.

"I see we've got a scholar here" smiled Gatomon, "What do you want to be?"

"The smartest person in the digital world" answered Revimon.

"That's one big ambition" said Armadillomon, "Well, if you want to know stuff, you've got it."

It was a bit awkward at first, but Revimon caught on very fast. He sat down while the four

digimages told him what they knew about digimagic, and even provided demonstrations.

Gatomon showed about healing, Gomamon taught stuff about maladies, Armadillomon did his bit on supporting, and Veemon elaborated on attack digimagic. Revimon was particularly interested in elements.

"It's a bit complicated" explained Veemon, "But it all comes down to scissor-paper-rock, err, it doesn't really, but anyway"

He drew something in a sandy bank,

"Everyone has a strength and a weakness, some have more than one" he looked at

Gomamon, who blushed.

"Since we're both dragons, our strengths are fire and lightning, and our weaknesses are water and ice."

"What does that mean?" asked Revimon,

"That means, we're okay in fire and lightning attacks, but not so okay in water and ice attacks" explained Veemon, "Gomes here is a water element digimon, meaning he's okay in water and ice, but not so good in lightning". Gomamon sighed thankfully. Veemon wanted to say "And women" but that wouldn't be very tactful in front of Gatomon.

"Gats is a holy element digimon" said Revimon, slowly, "So she's not very good against darkness."

"He's got the hang of it" smiled Gatomon, "But there are a lot of different things to know. What element attacks do you know so far?"

"Vemo taught me all elements yesterday" said Revimon.

"Okay" thought Gatomon, "What attack would you use on a machine?"

"I'd use lightning" said Revimon, "I get it!"

"And what wouldn't you use?" added Armadillomon.

"Not Wind or Ice" said Revimon, "They don't affect machines."

"Very good" smiled Veemon.

"Looks like the party's ready" said Gomamon, looking at the tree, "Did you like that, Revi?"

"Yeah, that's the best present I could get from you guys" said Revimon, running back to the tree. The others followed him.

"Weird kid" muttered Gomamon.

"Hey, he's okay" defended Veemon, "Maybe he actually wants to get somewhere in life."

"But he should be enjoying himself" argued Gomamon.

"It depends on what he enjoys" said Armadillomon wisely, "Cody's a lot like Revimon, he always wants to get more information, but he's not nearly as boisterous."

"Yeah, Cody's even weirder" said Gomamon.

"What about Joe? He's a whopping great nerd"

"You take that back!"

"Shut up" snapped Gatomon, "You two are the weirdest kids I've ever known."

Gomamon and Armadillomon both glared.

"And Kari's little-miss-perfect" muttered Gomamon. He had touched a nerve. Gatomon turned around, stormed over, and lifted him up by the ears.

"What-did-you-say?" she hissed.

"Nothing" wimpered Gomamon.

"Good" said Gatomon, and threw him down.

"Whoa, that's gotta hurt" whispered Dillomon.

The four of them entered the tree. There weren't many decorations, because they had just liberated it yesterday, but Revimon sat at the head of the table, enjoying the attention.

Swanmon had got the kids to make him little presents, which he liked. Saphenamon made a magnificent cake in the shape of a dragon (A normal red one with wings and scales that looked nothing like Veemon) and had put ten sparkler candles on top. Revimon had to use a wind spell to blow them out (The cake wasn't affected, thank goodness). The cake was delicious, Revimon was grateful, and the final present was to be given.

"This is your present" smiled Swanmon, "Since you're ten, you get to explore the world, and learn everything there is to know out there, on request that you stay with the digimages."

"Can I really go with them?" asked Revimon.

"Yes, you're ten now, you're old enough" said Swanmon, "And I trust the digimages. You can rest here for the night and head out tomorrow"

"WOOHOO!" Revimon danced around the room.

"I wanna go too" complained Salamon.

"No, you're only eight" said Swanmon,

"I'm nine and a half, can I go?" asked Eresmon.

"Too bad, you have to be ten exactly" said Swanmon firmly, "It's bed time now."

Swanmon had to go through about an hour's work, getting everyone ready for bed. Finally, she sat down on a rocking chair, and nodded everyone off with a story. Even Gomamon was snoozing, until Biyomon shook him awake.

"That looks like a big job to do every night" said Gabumon, sympathetically, "How do you do it?"

"Devotion and patience" said Swanmon, simply, and went to bed herself, "You have the spare rooms upstairs. Revimon, you can too."

The digimages went upstairs, and found some rooms with three beds in each one. This was luxury compared to sleeping on bare ground every night. Gatomon, Biyomon and Saphenamon announced their room the girl's wing, and vowed to shoot any boys on-site (Biyomon made that rule up of course), Dillomon, Gabumon and Elecmon shared one room, and the other three slept in the last room. Veemon stayed awake until Gomamon and Revimon went to sleep so Gomamon couldn't convince Revimon to make trouble. He had a look in the diary, avoiding Gomamon's and Gabumon's entries, when he came across a little comment on day fifteen. This was when he and Gatomon kissed in Wizardmon's mansion, and Revimon had written something there too.

"REVIMON!" growled Veemon, making both Gomamon and the small green dragon scared, "Did you read this diary?"

"Ooh, he's in for it now" muttered Gomamon,

Revimon didn't say anything; he looked guiltily at Veemon's feet, "Sorry" he muttered.

"Well, bro, this means you have to take the oath" sighed Veemon, and went through the phases. He wrote Revimon's name under the oath too, when he had finished, and they all went to bed a bit later, Revimon knowing that he'll regret it if he read his brother's stuff again, that oath was quite disturbing.

Swanmon woke them up early the next day. All the baby digimon were flocking around Revimon, saying their final goodbyes. Finally, it was time to go.

"Say bye, kids, you won't see Revimon again for a while" called Swanmon.

"Bye Revimon!" called all the children.

"Come back for my tenth birthday in three months" called Eresmon.

"And mine in seven" added Leximon.

"Can you bring back a souvenir?"

"I want an emerald!"

"I want a hat like Gatomon's."

"I want a pony!"

"No you do not!" scolded Swanmon, "Take care, Revimon, stay close to your brother."

"I will, don't worry!" called Revimon, "Bye everyone! I'll come back, I promise!"

The digimages were all glad that they had yet another ally to finish off the Necromancers once and for all. What they didn't know was, in Bardmon's new mansion, hovering above the clouds, yet another enemy was dormant, waiting longingly to have another swing at them.

Bardmon decided to play god one more time, and revived his little brother. Kilhamon was back, sleeping in a preserving tank, longing for revenge. Bardmon and Zyndromon decided the time was now, and they emptied the tank. Kilhamon opened his eyes, and stepped out of the tank, pulling off the electrodes.

"Bardmon, Zyndromon" he smiled, "I am very glad to be back. Where are Lorheasmon and Shamonesmon?"

"They have been destroyed" said Zyndromon, solemnly, "Twice, by the good digimages."

"Those goody-two-shoes" grumbled Kilhamon, "Have any of the good digimages been destroyed too?"

"No" said Bardmon, "They're all still alive, and they have gathered another two among their lines."

"So, we're up against nine?" asked Kilhamon, "And what level are they on?"

"They're all high mages" answered Zyndromon, making Kilhamon flinch, "But I have a plan.

We all know about elemental attributes."

"Yes" nodded Kilhamon, "I get it, we exploit their weaknesses."

"You always caught on quickly, Kilhamon" smiled Bardmon, "You know their weaknesses don't you?"

"I grow forgetful" sighed Kilhamon.

"Then a little revision is in order" said Zyndromon, and a hologram appeared. A 3D picture of Gatomon appeared, and rotated around. It read "Gatomon, High Mage, Weak against

Darkness" the hologram faded, and was replaced by Gabumon, "Weak against Fire"

It continued for the other seven digimages.

"Biyomon, weak against Ice"

"Gomamon, weak against Lightning"

"Veemon, weak against Water"

"Elecmon, weak against Wind"

"Armadillomon, weak against Ice"

Armadillomon faded, and Kilhamon looked more concerned. Saphenamon appeared.

"Is this a new one?" he asked.

"Yes, I have not seen her in battle, but she is a high mage too" said Bardmon.

"Weak against holy"

"And what is the last one?" asked Kilhamon.

"This one" said Zyndromon, and Revimon appeared in the hologram.

"This one looks like that V-prick" exclaimed Kilhamon.

"They are brothers" said Bardmon, "Beware of them together; two dragon digimages are no laughing matter."

"Some of them look different" said Kilhamon, "Can you go back to Gomamon?"

Gomamon appeared back on the hologram.

"See? He didn't look like that before" pointed out Kilhamon, "Did he digivolve?"

"No, the digimages have learned mode change, which proves how low those filth are" said

Zyndromon, strongly, "All except Elecmon and the last two, it appears only digimon who have experienced frequent digivolving may learn it."

"Very interesting" said Kilhamon, "I have a request."

"What is it?" asked Zyndromon.

"I want to finish off Veemon" said Kilhamon, clenching his fist, "I want to watch that pathetic dragon suffer and die, like what he did to me. His weakness is water? Even better. I shall send him to a watery grave."

"Patience, brother" said Zyndromon, "We must weave around their defences first."

"Their defences are quite strong" added Bardmon, "But I have identified them all, and come to the conclusion, that we must find a way to destroy them all in one blow."

"How can we do that?" asked Kilhamon.

"They're not the only ones who can come up with high mage attacks" said Bardmon, "We must set out to Myotismon's castle tomorrow, and do a little study."

"Subtle, but good" sighed Zyndromon, "Is your teleporter repaired, Bardmon?"

"Of course."

"Then let us go to Myotismon's Library" said Zyndromon, and the three of them teleported away.

Meanwhile, Veemon decided to go back to Mulgowie now that they had the tree of life back in allied hands, just to stock up on supplies. When Saphenamon folded her arms and repeated what Veemon had said before about not needing to go back there for the crystal, Veemon just huffed and resumed walking, not feeling like explaining much, which was a pity because Revimon was in a curious mood. Veemon tried to shut him up by lending him the crystal, but Revimon wasn't diverted. He was swinging the precious rock around now.

"What did you do in Mulgowie before?" he asked.

"Nothing much" answered Veemon.

"It doesn't sound like nothing much" pointed out Revimon, "Who stole the Crystal?"

"Escromon" muttered Veemon, "And stop swinging that around!"

"How did you get it back?" asked Revimon stopping the swinging.

"Gats, can you?" asked Veemon, hopefully.

Gatomon sighed and told Revimon about the dance contest, and what happened. Revimon was very interested.

"Did you like the dancing?" he asked, when Gatomon had finished.

"Yeah, it was almost magical" sighed Gatomon, smiling.

"Who won?" asked Revimon, making everyone look awkward.

"We all did" said Veemon, making everyone stare, "Saphenamon and Kayetomon won the crystal back, when Escromon was about to say that Gatomon and I won, but Gabumon made us all realise that cheating doesn't pay, and it didn't matter who won."

"That makes sense" shrugged Gatomon. Revimon went back to Veemon, and whispered.

"Do you dance when you're dating a girl?" he asked.

"Normally, yeah" nodded Veemon, "They get really cheesed off if you don't, but they don't mind if you can't."

After a pause, Revimon was asking everyone about digivolution. Veemon didn't like it at first, because it would probably make everyone upset, but their reaction was similar to his.

They all preferred digimagic to digivolving, and spoke about their lost abilities in a casual way.

"Who were you gonna digivolve to, Revi?" asked Gomamon. Veemon stomped on his foot.

Revimon didn't need to be asked that. His ears drooped.

"I was gonna be Agaresmon" he sighed, "But anyway, that's not important. Might as well ask me what I would do with a third ear."

Gomamon turned away. Revimon handled that quite well, Veemon was expecting him to burst into tears.

"Bro, you dropped your crystal again" said Revimon.

"Whoa! I did too!" said Veemon, surprised, "Thanks, Revi, where is it?"

"Back there a bit" said Revimon, pointing back over the hill which they just crossed. A little sparkle could be seen. Veemon ran to it, and Revimon turned to Elecmon, who had stopped. Saphenamon and Gomamon also fell back, the others kept going.

"You had the crystal didn't you?" asked Elecmon, sternly, "That was a nasty trick."

"Well, I need to ask you something" said Revimon, "About me and Bro, how are we related?"

"I don't remember very well" sighed Elecmon, "Believe me, I raised a heck of a lot of Digimon."

"Do you remember any Chibomon digivolving to Demiveemon?" asked Revimon, to cut down the search a bit.

"Yeah, I do remember it now" said Elecmon, "I remember, fifteen years ago, a Chibomon digivolving into a Demiveemon. He was taken away by Piedmon when he attacked then, but that was when he was being quiet about his ways."

"And when did that Chibomon hatch?" asked Revimon.

"A year before that"

"So that means Veemon is sixteen years old" concluded Revimon, "Thanks, Elecmon... by the way, how old are you?"

"I've lost count" confessed Elecmon, "I'd say around thirty."

"That's really old" exclaimed Revimon, "Don't old people have wrinkles? Don't they play lawn bowls, chess and sleep a lot? Don't they..."

"I know, but I prefer it around these guys" said Elecmon, "They make me feel younger."

"One more thing, when's bro's birthday?"

Elecmon whispered the date, and Revimon looked mysterious, and then turned to Gomamon,

"How old are you?"

"Biyomon, Gats, Gabba and I are only fourteen" he sighed, "I'd say Arma's around Vemo's age, but I don't know how old Saphenamon is."

"I'm twenty" said Saphenamon, "But what does it matter?"

(A/N - Even though they're just in their teens, digimon grow very differently to humans, and don't have to go through puberty. Age doesn't really matter with digimon)

Veemon returned, the crystal around his neck, panting.

"Don't do that again" he scolded, "You lied and tricked me, we're not supposed to do that."

"Sorry" muttered Revimon.

"It's fine" sighed Veemon, getting the hint from a look from Elecmon, "Just say if you want to talk alone, we understand."

"Okay" nodded Revimon.

"Now, Elex, we need to know something" said Veemon, remembering.

"It's okay, Revimon already asked me" said Elecmon, deciding to stand up on two feet, but dropped down a second later.

"Gawd that's annoying" grumbled Gomamon, "Make up your mind, sit or stand."

"That's the problem, I don't know what to do" sighed Elecmon, "What do you think?"

"I say walk on two feet, keep your paws free" suggested Veemon, "But if you run faster on four, do whatever."

"Thanks" Elecmon stood up on two feet and stayed so. By now, Revimon discovered that Elecmon was the correct person to ask questions to, and he did so all the way to Mulgowie.

Veemon, Saphenamon and Gomamon listened in, interested, glad of not having to answer anything.

In a cluster up ahead, Gabumon, Gatomon, Biyomon and Armadillomon were talking.

(A/N-Gawd, all they ever do is walk and talk! I'll skip this bit, work out what they say in the following conversations.

A - About the master digimon that Epsilmon destroyed, and how Saphenamon reacts

B - What they're going to do now that Zyndromon is back

C - What they think their new battle plan will be with Revimon joining

D - Who else Bardmon will revive)

Ponder on these questions and be sure to see chapter 26 of Attack of the Necromancers!

Nelson: *At black veemon* HA HA! jk


	26. Retracing the Path

**CHAPTER 26 Retracing the Path**

Around sunset, the digimages reached Mulgowie. Veemon's plan was to stay the night and catch a Trailmon to Rehna Valley the next morning, because he heard that Bardmon's new mansion was around there. They strolled down the street, and it was Gabumon that was getting funny looks from girls this time. Biyomon's reaction was far less subtle than Gatomon's.

"Take a picture! It'll last longer!" she barked at a knot of girls, "Go gawk at someone else!"

"Poor guy, having to put up with that" muttered one woman to another. Gomamon and Armadillomon were quite enjoying themselves. Elecmon waved back again and added commentary to drown out Biyomon's growling.

"Thank you, ladies" he called, grinning. Veemon's stomach was twitching from laughter, the scene was so funny.

"Hey, you there!"

"Who was that?" asked Saphenamon,

"It sounded like Escromon" answered Gatomon, "GROW UP YOU SIX!" she added to Gabumon, who pulled his fur over his face in embarrassment, to Biyomon, who began hissing at girls who were interested in Gabumon, to Elecmon who was giving large bows, and to Gomamon, Veemon and Dillomon who were laughing hard. They all turned around. Escromon was running up the street, calling out to them. The digimages stopped, and Escromon caught up to them, panting.

"What do you want?" asked Gomamon.

"I know... this might sound... crazy to you" puffed Escromon, "But... I can offer you a job."

"A job's not crazy" said Elecmon, "What is it?"

"I need you guys to perform something" said Escromon, "A sound and light show, with your digiwhatsit power. No other digimon in the world know such flashy attacks" Gatomon exhaled, smiling,

"I've always wanted to be an actress" she sighed, "That is... if it's okay with everyone else."

"Yeah, sure" shrugged Veemon, "We can't really do anything until those necro-gits turn up."

"What do you want us to act out?" asked Armadillomon,

"It's just a short show" said Escromon, "But I'm sure everyone'll be impressed. It's a fake battle, see? Four on four, good on bad."

"One of us'll have to stay out then." sighed Veemon,

"That's okay, I don't really want to do the show." confessed Revimon,

"Who are the characters?" asked Saphenamon,

"Here's the script" said Escromon, giving them all a sheet of paper, "And your payment will be five hundred digidollars each."

"Wow, that is good" smiled Veemon, looking at his script, an idea coming to him "That's... enough to get four airbikes! Hey! I heard that the Mansion is a hovering one, so we would be better off with the airbikes. We need to do this! Let's see the script" he looked at the paper, "It looks like a team of four go into the palace of the four evil guys, yeah, bit of Hawkmon-style talk there, and the battle. There's nothing here about the battle."

"That's for you to decide" said Escromon, "Just make it as flashy as possible, and make sure it goes for a while."

"Ah, okay" nodded Gatomon, "Hang on, do we attack each other?"

"Yes, we do" sighed Armadillomon, "Hey, we could use just digimagic that does no damage."

"Special Effects?" summarised Biyomon, "I like that."

Escromon left them to come up with a good battle scheme.

"First thing's first, who's who?" asked Elecmon, "I'll be Xantres, the evil lightning fella."

"I'll be Hagara" said Saphenamon, "The bad fire lady."

"And I'll be Ebony, the dark mage" smiled Biyomon, "This is so cool, and I'm supposed to be Destion's lover, that means Gabba's Destion."

Gabumon nodded, "That means I'm the dark king, this is great."

"Okay then, the good guys now" pondered Gatomon, "I'll be Cassanda, the holy princess, of course... Arma, you're Terranes, the Earth paladin, and Veemon... gets to be the head honcho, Alma."

"That means I'm... the high wizard Visage" finished Gomamon, sighing. Veemon felt sympathetic, he was getting tired of having the limelight all the time.

"Actually, I think Gomes can be Alma" he said, "I'll be Visage, it's okay."

"Thanks, Vemo" smiled Gomamon, "Now, what's the battle gonna be like?"

"We'll do that later" said Gatomon, looking through the script, "After the battle, Alma and Destion are the only ones left standing. Their magic has been used up, and their team mates are down. They draw swords... um... can you fellas do that?"

"Umm... I guess so" shrugged Gomamon, looking at his flippers. He could probably handle a sword, but it would also probably fall out and look embarrassing. Armadillomon and Veemon were probably more suited to swords.

"Err... fine" agreed Gabumon, "They're fake swords of course?"

"Yeah, I think so" said Gatomon, "Let's see the fight... hang on... Alma dies."

"What?" Everyone looked at their script, Alma indeed died 'With one final stab, Destion pierced Alma's heart to the air.'

"That can't be right, the good guy's supposed to win" said Gatomon, "There's got to be more... yes! Cassanda revives Alma, after she with her powers of holy, finishes off Destion and his evil reign... so there's a second battle too."

"Um, what about the heart-piercing thing..." said Gomamon, awkwardly, "How's that supposed to work?"

"Simple, I stab your heart" joked Gabumon. Everyone except Gomamon laughed.

"Seriously, I don't know... some painless effect or another" shrugged Gabumon.

"That's the end... what happens to Alma and Cassanda?" asked Veemon, hoping not to see a romance scene,"Nothing" Veemon looked relieved.

"What?"

"It says here that... oh, no! I'm wrong!" Veemon looked up, the smile off his face. "It looks like you two get to kiss."

"Gatomon, is this okay?" asked Elecmon, concerned.

"Um... okay" shrugged Gatomon, "It's gotta be fake though."

"Aww, come on, Gats" smiled Gomamon, cheekily, but he resisted saying, "You can't resist me, I'm so cute" because Gatomon might slap him, and Veemon might punch him, "Never mind, we can fake it."

"That shouldn't be too hard" shrugged Elecmon, "Don't worry, that's not the only scene. You missed a bit at the start when Destion and Ebony pash... AGH!" Elecmon winced as Gatomon, Biyomon and Gabumon simultaneously kicked his shins.

"Aww, I'm just a wizard, I don't get any cool scenes" moaned Veemon.

"Well, you get to wear flashy clothes and get to do the best magic" shrugged Saphenamon.

"Why don't we change the script slightly?"

"Yeah, I'm sure Escromon won't mind" smiled Gatomon, "I don't really want to talk like Hawkmon, although Veemon does."

"What?" asked Veemon, confused.

"That oath in your diary" said Gatomon, "I bet you got that talk off Hawkmon."

"Gatomon, that was a secret" muttered Veemon, as everyone except Gomamon, Gabumon and Revimon smirked.

"Then you shouldn't have read it out loud in front of me" shrugged Gatomon, "Anyway, we can make a modern version" and the nine of them devised a new script. Their performance was the next night. Escromon greeted them there, and walked out to the stage, did his bit, and then the digimages walked out. The crowd wasn't very big, only about fifty were there, but that was acceptable because of the Necromancers. It was the evil guys to do the first scene.

"Excellent" said Gabumon in a loud voice, "The deed is done. Xantre, warrior of thunder, you have done well, and will be greatly rewarded" Gabumon was dressed in an impressive black costume. Biyomon wore a dark robe (she was in her sorceress mode), Elecmon had a flashy silver costume, and his ears were arranged into lightning bolts, and Saphenamon was wearing a simple but effective disguise with a red leather battle dress and orange trousers, with a wig of red hair.

"May I ask what your plan is now, my lord?" asked Saphenamon,

"Yes, you can, Hagara" said Gabumon, awkwardly because they had changed this part from 'may' to 'can',"The plan is to lure the four warriors of holy, our nemesises, and use this device, the jewel of night..." he held up a black jewel so the audience could see, "...to defeat them, and then steal the jewel of day. Together, the two jewels will give us sufficient power to rule over all the worlds in the universe"

"Surely, such power from two simple jewels, no bigger than a fist can give us that much power?" asked Biyomon,

"Yes, it does sound knotty" agreed Gabumon. The audience tittered, he had changed 'completely ridiculous' to 'knotty', "But it is true."

"Your vast confidence makes my heart flutter like a sparrow" said Biyomon. Veemon wanted to change that part, but Biyomon wouldn't stand for it, she liked it, "But what makes me feel so? Is it my happiness that our lifelong mission is coming to conclusion? Or is it my undying love of you, Lord Destion?"

"Perhaps it is both" suggested Gabumon. This was the romance scene, Gomamon (backstage) turned away slightly as Gabumon and Biyomon made to kiss, but Biyomon sighed. She made a fake kiss, standing in front of Gabumon so only the back of her head could be seen, and stood an inch away from the wolf, but it was quite effective, even the breathing of the audience couldn't be heard. The curtains fell, and the scene swapped around, Gabumon sighing. The lights were much brighter, and the other four took place on the stage. Escromon provided a bit of narration, and Armadillomon spoke. He didn't need a costume, his armour looked quite effective without one.

"Bad news" he said, panting as though he was running, "Destion's lot" more tittering of the editing, "Have the jewel of night"

"We've got to get it back" said Veemon, dressed in a pointed hat that sagged slightly at the tip, a padded suit and a long coat, "Its power is massive" (Veemon received some scowling, because he was supposed to say 'immense', "And you know what sort of stuff Destion's gonna do with it" The audience was giggling at Veemon's casual speech.

"We must go forth, and kick Destion's gluteus maximus" said Gomamon, who was wearing a sort of doublet and padded trousers. The whole crowd laughed, and they looked a lot more interested from that point on,

"Cassanda, do you have the jewel of day?" asked Veemon,

"Of course I do" said Gatomon, who just wore her wizardess mode costume,

"Then let's mosey" said Gomamon, and ran off the stage. Everyone followed, amid gales of

laughter. Escromon confronted them,

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, "That's not the script"

"But the audience likes it" pointed out Gomamon,

"And that's really what counts isn't it?" asked Gatomon,

"Very well" sighed Escromon, "The battle's coming up, I hope that will be worth it"

"It will, trust us" smiled Veemon, and waited for the cue. Gabumon and his lot walked on the stage, waiting, and finally, the other four jumped on. After some furious talk, the sparks flew, and battle begun. The audience gasped in awe at the beautiful effects. Everyone pretended to cry out in pain when a SFX spell got them, when it merely tickled, but it looked and sounded real. It lasted ten minutes, before everyone was on the floor except Gomamon, after Gabumon had used a very spectacular spell.

"You have no chance against me" sneered Gabumon, "Visage is out, and you can no longer use magic, but I can" He struck the floor next to Gomamon with fake lightning,

"Then yield to my blade" said Gomamon, menacingly, pulling out his sword, even if he did roll his eyes. Gatomon insisted that bit stayed in, but he hated it.

"Your little magic tricks won't work on the holy sword" sneered Gomamon, "Now, give up while you can"

"Never" snapped Gabumon, pulling out his own sword.

"This should be good" muttered Escromon to himself. Gomamon thoroughly enjoyed the fighting,

"Hey, ease down a bit" whispered Gabumon, "Remember, I have to win this"

"Fine" answered Gomamon, and turned down the enthusiasm. The audience watched, amazed, as the swords began to glow different colors, and made sparks fly at every hit. As the battle grew on, the effects were more dramatic. Finally, Gomamon nodded, and Gabumon used a massive thrust (to the side of him, of course, so the audience thought Alma was stabbed) and the end of Gabumon's sword was red with some fake blood (Gomamon had a special pack on the inside of his doublet that Gabumon was supposed to stab). Gabumon violently pulled his sword out, and Gomamon fell to the floor.

"Finally, the mission is complete" said Gabumon, "All that needs to be done is to get the jewel of day from Lady Cassanda, and it will all be over" he sighed, "What a pity Ebony is not alive to witness this, but I have avenged her. I shall have these filth quartered..."

"You're not quartering anyone"

"What?!" Gatomon stood up,

"You should be dead" said Gabumon, coldly,

"Your wench of a lover failed to do so" answered Gatomon, strongly, "We'll see how you argue in the afterlife" Gatomon used one final spell, that looked like her Holy Corona, but it didn't lay a scratch. As the audience was temporarily blinded, Gabumon stepped off the stage, yelling as though in pain. When the light faded, nothing was there.

"Alma, wake up" whispered Gatomon, loudly, "We're victorious, open your emerald eyes to witness the world without Destion" she shook Gomamon gently, and begun to cry, "Alma...no" Her tears made rippling effects on the stage, and lights began to glow. Gatomon made a shower of sparks over Gomamon, and he stirred,

"It's my cue, right?" he whispered,

"Yes" answered Gatomon, quickly,

"Ugh!" he spluttered, "Am I dead?"

"No" answered Gatomon, "You're still here"

"Cassanda" said Gomamon, quietly, "Is Destion still here too?"

"No, he's gone" replied Gatomon, "Oh, Vee... err... Alma"

Fortunately, the audience didn't notice her mistake, but it certainly made everyone else titter. They were pinching their noses backstage. There was supposed to be a bit more talking here, but neither Gatomon or Gomamon could be bothered, they just wanted to get off this stage. Gatomon had the back of her head to the audience, and it looked like she and Gomamon were kissing to them, but they were really three inches apart, Veemon was watching them very closely. The curtains fell, and the actor and actress walked triumphantly off the stage.

"Come on, we've got to do the bow" said Elecmon, wiping a tear from his eye. The eight of them walked back on the stage, each of them using an SFX spell to make it more extravagent as they bowed one by one. Finally, they walked back offstage, the audience were throwing flowers in appreciation.

"That was the best performance I have ever seen" said Escromon, meeting them with a wet tissue, "I'll give you eight hundred digidollars each for that" He gave each digimage some green money, and they all pocketed it, smiling.

"Please, feel free to do some more performances" he concluded, "I'm sure you'll become a hit".Escromon left, blowing his nose.

"So that's kissing" concluded Revimon, and confronted Gatomon with a barrage of questions.

"Did you like that?"

"I suppose so."

"Have you ever kissed before?"

"Yeah."

"When?"

"A few weeks ago."

"Did you like it then?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you make contact this time?"

"I'm not allowed to kiss anyone else apart from your brother."

"Do you think Veemon's a good kisser?"

"Revi, we're going now" called Elecmon, "Leave Gatomon alone!"

Gatomon smiled as Revimon went over to bombard Gomamon with questions. The digimages left the Mulgowie again and continued their journey, while Gabumon and Biyomon were in a private conversation.

How come you didn't, you know?" asked Gabumon, referring to the mock kiss.

"I'm just not ready for it" sighed Biyomon, "You understand don't you?"

"Yeah" exhaled Gabumon, Biyomon smiled.

"You're still my favorite mon though, just because we're not as sappy as Veemon and Gatomon, doesn't mean we're not happy."

"You're right" nodded Gabumon, and they rejoined the digimages.

"Wish we had a teleporter" muttered Gomamon. The digimages had been walking for several days, "Why can't we just catch a Trailmon?"

"They don't run here" pointed out Veemon, "Plus we don't have a net big enough" Everyone groaned at Veemon's bad joke.

"We won't get to Bardmon's if we don't get the airbikes" pointed out Elecmon, "At least it's doing me good, I've dropped ten pounds since I've been with you fellas." His normally large white belly did indeed look smaller.

"How come you haven't lost weight, Gabba?" asked Armadillomon.

"This is all muscle" said Gabumon. Biyomon smiled at him.

"Well, you can't see, but I've lost fifteen" smiled Armadillomon, proudly.

"Fifteen what?" asked Saphenamon.

"Ounces" sighed Dillomon, "Darn! Hopin' to trick you there."

"FINALLY!" huffed Gomamon, making everyone jump, "There's the truck stop."

In the distance was the diner and the junk shops. As the digimages approached, a hovering sound came from behind them. They turned around, and saw three airbikes, two with occupied sidecars. On the solo airbike was none other than...

"Jansimon!"

"Hey, Boree" called Jansimon, landing. The other four Ziedrich Knights followed.

"Boree?!" asked Biyomon, confused.

"So, this is the team that Ceres was talking about" said Jansimon, taking off his helmet, "And I see you are privileged to the company of three beautiful ladies" he added, formally to Gatomon, Biyomon and Saphenamon, who all blushed, "How's the tiff with the Necrohoozits going?"

"There's three left" answered Veemon, feeling slightly embarrassed without his biker costume.

Halley raised her eyebrows, and whispered to Dell, "How did this fella get in? He's just a lizard."

"A lizard's a bit harsh, I'd say he's a dragon" answered Dell, "See what he did to the Reapers? Not just any cold-blooded... blue skink."

"What are you heading this way again for?" asked Jansimon, he turned to Revimon, "And who's this little guy?"

"Bro, why does he call you Ceres?" asked Revimon.

"Is he your brother?" asked Jansimon, impressed, "How come you have to look after him?"

"He's more powerful than he looks" said Veemon, proudly.

"And what's Ceres' bro's name?" asked Jansimon.

"Revimon, but I wanna nickname too."

"Okay then" smiled Jansimon, "You can be Upsilon."

"That... is good" nodded Biyomon.

"Anyway, how come you're coming this way?" asked Jansimon, turning back to Veemon.

"We need to get some airbikes" answered Veemon, "Bardmon's out of reach, it'll just make things easier."

"Easier is good" shrugged Jansimon, "Well, there's no need to blow your stash, we'll get you some airbikes."

"Really?" asked Gomamon, "Thanks."

"Um, unfortunately... we've only got three grand in our funds, and you'll need at least four..." said Jansimon, apprehensively.

"Here" Veemon gave him ten 100 digidollar notes.

"Be back in five minutes and two secs" called Jansimon, and went off to the bike yard.

"Might as well get something to eat while we're here" suggested Gatomon, and made toward the diner.

"No, wait, you'll get trounced!" called Gomamon. Gatomon didn't listen, and entered the diner. After a minute, there was a brilliant flash of light, and biker digimon almost ran over each other trying to get out, all with an expression of fear on their faces.

"Whoa... Vemo, I've got no idea how you tame her" whispered Gomamon in awe. The digimages and Ziedrich Knights entered the diner, seeing Gatomon sit innocently in a berth.

"What happened?" asked Gabumon, sitting opposite Gatomon.

"One of these bints called me a rookie" shrugged Gatomon. No further questions were asked.

"They all act tough, but they're wimps against women" said Halley, "These fellas get nowhere without me, do you?" she slapped Treno's and Crux's shoulders. They muttered their annoyance.

"Ready to order?" asked the waitress, wearing a short dress and an apron,

"Fourteen sundaes" answered Gatomon, giving the waitress the money.

"Most people wait for the bill" pointed out Dell.

"I just want to make things easier" shrugged Gatomon, as the waitress walked away, a smile on her face as she carried the hundred dollar bill away.

"The bikes are outside" said Jansimon, who returned, "You guys eating?"

"Yeah" nodded Elecmon. The waitress returned with the sundaes and some change.

"So much for the subway diet" muttered Elecmon, eating his sundae. His stomach seemed to bulge slightly at every bite. Revimon was watching it, as though hypnotized.

"I just have to look at food and I get fat" sighed Elecmon, "Gomes here can eat all he wants and he doesn't get any bigger do you?"

"Joe said that" nodded Gomamon, "Something about Meta Blossum." Gatomon sniggered.

"Who's Joe, Boree?" asked Jansimon.

"He's a human" explained Gomamon, "He's studying to become a doctor."

"A what?"

"Someone who makes other humans get better when they're sick"

"Oh, a doctor! That's right!" nodded Dell, "He must be smart then, do you learn a lot off him?"

"Nah, he's quiet most of the time" said Gomamon, "He's got the writing of a doctor though, nobody can read it." They all sniggered.

"How are you guys gonna get these necro-dudes?" asked Crux, "Same as last time?"

"Yeah" nodded Veemon.

"Did you fight one when before you rescued me?" asked Gatomon, looking up.

"Oh, so she's yours, eh?" muttered Treno, "Perfect match if I ever saw one" Veemon smiled.

"Yeah, we bumped into Zyndromon" he nodded, "We almost got her, but she got us. We all got out in one piece though."

"And you went all the way from there to the Fool's Fall to save her?" asked Halley, "Wow, Ceres, you're a romantic too" she turned to Gatomon, "You keep a firm grip on this dude." Gatomon nodded, grinning.

When they all finished their sundaes, the digimages got on their new bikes. Gabumon revved up the first one, with Dillomon and Revimon in the enlarged sidecar. Gatomon wanted to see what it was like riding one, and drove the second one, with Biyomon in the car, just for some girl-talk, which was understandable because they were outnumbered three-to-one by males. Gomamon drove the third, with Saphenamon in the sidecar. They thought that they would be a good combination, with water and fire. Finally, Veemon drove the last bike and Elecmon rode in the sidecar.

"I've never flown before, this is really exciting" said Elecmon, quietly, "You know how to drive it, right?"

"Of course, didn't you see me over at Fool's fall?" asked Veemon.

"Well, you crashed last time, and..."

"Don't worry, I won't crash this time" assured Veemon, "We all learn from our mistakes don't we?"

"Yeah, that's true" nodded Elecmon, "Just let me attack, you need to evade."

"Got that" nodded Veemon, "We're going now."

The digimages rose into the sky with the Ziedrich Knights following. Elecmon was beside himself with excitement. The airbikes formed a large arrow in the sky as they flew toward the Necromancers' air mansion.

How will their attack go this time? What will Kilhamon and Zyndromon do now that they have been revived? Have they learned the ultimate skill they went to Myotismon's library for? Find out in Chapter 27 of Attack of the Necromancers!


End file.
